United for a cause: Judges, lawyers boycott courts across province

President KBA Naeem Qureshi demands permission for lawyers to carry licenced weapons.

SUKKUR/ HYDERABAD/ KARACHI: A strong show of solidarity was exhibited by the bench and the bar on Thursday as the judges and the lawyers boycotted courts in a bid to send a loud and clear message that no further attacks on either would be tolerated.

The countrywide strike call was given by the Pakistan Bar Council in the aftermath of an attack on the Sindh High Court’s (SHC) judge Justice Maqbool Baqar. No legal proceedings took place as the courts wore a deserted look.

Court work has been interrupted in the past when lawyers observed strikes to protest targeted attacks on their colleagues but, on Thursday, they were joined by the judges as well. “The attack on Justice Maqbool Baqar is an attack on the judiciary,” an SHC Bar Association member said. “The terrorists are bent on silencing the judges.”



During a general body meeting, the association’s members claimed that Justice Baqar was receiving threats for more than two years but that the government failed to provide him a bulletproof vehicle. The security provided to him was inadequate, they felt. SHCBA members informed that another judge was receiving threats, which may prevent him from performing his duties in accordance with the law and the constitution. The government should provide bulletproof vehicles to all the judges, they demanded.

The members further felt that the high court building was unsafe and demanded that illegal parking in front of the passport office should be immediately taken care of. They also demanded Rs2 million as compensation for the heirs of the victims.

In Karachi, lawyers staged protests and organised rallies to lodge their protest against the Burns Road attack that left nine people dead and more than a dozen others injured.

Weapons for lawyers

Karachi Bar Association (KBA) president Naeem Qureshi demanded that the provincial government should allow lawyers to carry licenced weapons to protect themselves. He further demanded action against the elements attacking judges and lawyers in the metropolis.

Qureshi demanded a complete ban on all the sectarian organisations, especially those claiming responsibility for such attacks. He also blamed the intelligence agencies for the attack on the convoy of Justice Baqar on June 26.

Malir Bar Association president Muhammad Ashraf Samoo condemned the attack and expressed grief over the loss of lives.

Meanwhile, lawyers in upper Sindh also stayed away from courts and staged protest demonstrations against Wednesday’s bomb attack.

The legal fraternity boycotted court proceeding at the SHC’s Sukkur bench and its subordinate courts. Calling it a cowardly act of terrorism, they chanted slogans against the government for its failure to provide security to the people.

High court bar association, Sukkur, president Qurban Malano, addressing the protesting lawyers, slammed the assault. Declaring the attack as a preplanned conspiracy, he said that the judges ensured justice for all and if they were not safe in this country then, there was no hope for other citizens. In Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas, lawyers also boycotted court proceedings in protest.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2013.