In solidarity: Lawyers boycott courts to protest colleague’s murder

The lawyer, Ameer Haider Shah, was killed in Karachi on Friday evening

SUKKUR/ HYDERABAD/ KARACHI: The legal fraternity continued its protest across the province on the second consecutive day on Monday to condemn the murder of a lawyer, Syed Amir Haider Shah, who was shot dead by unknown assailants last week.

Legal proceedings at the Sindh High Court (SHC) were suspended at 10am on the request of the lawyers, who held a general body meeting against the incident instead.

Absence of the lawyers caused difficulties for petitioners and litigants as hundreds of cases fixed for the day had to be adjourned without hearing. The judges, however, entertained only urgent matters in their chambers.

On the other hand, the SHCBA members' general body meeting unanimously adopted a resolution against the killing of Syed Amir Haider Shah.

The members demanded SHC Chief Justice Faisal Arab to issue directives to the relevant agencies and departments, including the Military Intelligence, the Inter-Services Intelligence and the Rangers to investigate the brutal murder of Syed Amir Haider Shah, arrest the culprits within a week and bring them to justice.

SHCBA president Abid S Zuberi demanded the provincial government to immediately pay Rs20 million in compensation to the family of the assassinated lawyer. He also demanded that foolproof security be provided by all the security agencies.

The association's chief strongly condemned the incidents of violence against his fraternity members. The meeting was also attended by former Supreme Court Bar Association president Sardar Yaseen Azad and former president of the Pakistan Bar Council. In Sukkur, lawyers boycotted the high court circuit bench and district courts and staged demonstrations in the premises of the district and sessions court. The president of the District Bar Association, Shafqat Raheem, addressed the protesting lawyers and strongly condemned the cold-blooded murder of Ameer Haider Shah. He said on one hand the operation against criminals is continuing in Karachi, while on the other hand, lawyers are being put to death on sectarian grounds, which is simply intolerable and is seen as an attempt to spark sectarian violence.

The lawyers in other districts of Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Nawabshah division also observed the protest and boycotted the courts.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1st, 2015.