In solidarity: Hearings adjourned to mourn lawyers’ killing

Bar association members boycott proceedings, demanded action

PESHAWAR: Like other parts of the country, lawyers in Peshawar also boycotted court proceedings on Tuesday to mourn the killing of two lawyers in Daska area of Sialkot district.

“Police responsible for the brutal killing of the two lawyers should be given punishment as per the law so that they refrain from resorting to such extreme actions against lawyers,” said Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) former general secretary Muhammad Ayaz Khan. He was addressing a general body meeting of PHCBA and Peshawar Bar Association.

The meeting took place in the bar room of the high court to condemn the killing of Daska Bar Association President Rana Khalid Abbas and Advocate Irfan Chauhan. Ayaz Khan added the legal fraternity is peaceful and has never acted against the law; hence the government should take the culprits to task to avoid such acts of violence in future.

Scores of cases fixed for hearing in various courts were adjourned due to the strike of the legal fraternity.

On Monday, a clash broke out between lawyers and police officials in Daska during a peaceful protest by the former outside a police station. To disperse the crowd, SHO Daska Sardar Shehzad opened fire, killing two lawyers.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2015.