Peshawar tragedy: Lawyers stay away from courts in protest

PESHAWAR: The lawyers here on Friday stayed away from court proceedings to protest against the rising lawlessness and express solidarity with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police force.

The Peshawar High Court Bar Association had given the call for the strike. The lawyers did not appear before the courts and stayed away from legal proceedings in order to record their protest.

In a statement, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council Vice Chairman Zarbadshah, Peshawar High Court Bar Association President Rahmanullah, General Secretary Farooq Afridi and others condemned the suicide attack targeting the police forces.

They said that the protest was staged to express solidarity with the police force that lost scores of cops in

the attack.

The lawyers said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police was a frontline force in the war against terrorism and militancy. He said that the policemen were bravely fighting the militants and were offering sacrifices for the restoration of peace and maintenance of law and order in the province.

They asked the provincial government to provide resources and equipment to the police force to enable the cops to eradicate the scourge of terrorism.

They also expressed deep concern over the worsening law and order situation in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and asked the authorities to take concrete steps to bring the situation under control.

They also prayed for the quick recovery of the cops, who were injured in the devastating blast at the mosque in the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines in the provincial capital. The lawyers said thorough investigations should be held to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice.