Shoulder to shoulder: Lawyers to boycott court proceedings today

Condemn attack on district courts in the capital.

PESHAWAR/ CHARSADDA/ DI KHAN: Lawyers at the Peshawar High Court (PHC) boycotted court proceedings to show solidarity with the victims of the attack on the Islamabad district courts on Monday. On the Pakistan Bar Council’s call, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council will boycott all district and high courts today (Tuesday).

Lawyers asked both the federal and provincial governments to ensure foolproof security at all courts and judicial complexes so the legal fraternity can work in a secure environment and help deliver justice to the public.

Condemning Islamabad’s attack, PHC Bar Association President Ishtiaq Ibrahim said the security situation in Peshawar has been critical but they were not expecting the capital to be targeted.

“We expect the federal government to carry out an independent enquiry of the incident and nab the culprits. The government is supposed to protect the life of citizens; adequate security should be provided to members of the judiciary,” said Ibrahim.

Former deputy attorney general and senior lawyer Muhammad Iqbal Mohmand said targeting the judiciary was clearly an act of terror, which showed that the capital was also in danger from anti-state elements.

“A few days ago, a briefing was given to the parliament’s standing committee on security that indicated there are a number of terrorists groups in Islamabad that could pose serious threats,” Mohmand said. “Minister for Interior Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan rejected the report in the National Assembly. This act of terror has shown that the capital is on the target list of terrorist groups.”

Justice on pause in Charsadda, DI Khan

Lawyers of the Charsadda Bar Council announced they were going on a strike and did not attend courts after the attack on Islamabad’s district courts on Monday.

Altaf Khan, president of the Charsadda Bar Association, convened an emergency meeting of his cabinet and lawyers of the district courts after the incident in the federal capital.

He said “Now in the light of the recent incident, we don’t feel secure ourselves.”

He extended his sympathies to families of the victims and said the authorities should arrest the culprits within 24 hours. The lawyers during the meeting decided the strike will continue till the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) decides otherwise. Litigants present at the Charsadda district courts were confronted with severe problems due to the strike as their case hearings were delayed.

Meanwhile, members of the DI Khan Bar Council boycotted court activities on the appeal of the PBC as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2014.