In protest: Lawyers in Gilgit boycott court proceedings

Condemn decision to withdraw security from a judge’s residence.

GILGIT:

Lawyers in Gilgit on Saturday boycotted court proceedings indefinitely in protest over the decision to withdraw security provided to an anti-terrorist court judge.

A police inspector allegedly withdrew security from the residence of Justice Syed Muhammad Faisal of Anti-Terrorist Court-II because he reprimanded and fined Inspector Nusrat Alam for not producing an accused in court during a hearing this week.

Justice Faisal also ordered the police to pay a penalty of Rs10,000, adding inspector Alam could face confinement of up to six months if he failed to do so.

The accused, Imran Haider, who the police failed to produce, is said to be involved in multiple cases, including the murder of a senior politician from the Pakistan Peoples Party, Mir Nawaz Khan, and an attempt on the life of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Salamat Jan.

Inspector Alam will file an appeal against the penalty in the upper court.

The boycott is being supported by lawyers representing the Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) Supreme Appellate Court and the G-B District Bar Association. “The strike is to show solidarity with the judges and we have not decided when to end it as yet,” said a lawyer requesting anonymity.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Crimes Mehmoodul Hassan, meanwhile, said providing security to judges is the duty of the police. “Judges are respectable for us and we cannot afford to show laxity on their security,” he said during a police function on Saturday.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 7^th, 2013.