Lawyers observe black day across country

ISLAMABAD: Lawyers across the country observed Tuesday as a black day to mark the tragic incident of May 12, 2007, when riots in Karachi left over 50 people dead and hundreds injured. The protests were held in all the provincial capitals and federal capitals and other cities of the country with lawyers not attending proceedings of the courts.
The May 12 incident marked a series of violent clashes between rival political activists in Karachi. The unrest began as former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry arrived at the Jinnah International Airport on 12 May, 2007.
Gunfights and clashes erupted across the provincial capital as supporters and opponents of the judge, belonging to different political parties, took to the streets against each other.City-wide riots escalated on the day despite the fact that several roads were cordoned off and all routes to the airport were blocked to avoid clashes between groups. In the carnage, more than 50 people were killed with several hundred injured and arrested. The violence continued for several days.
On the call of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), the legal fraternity across the country boycotted the court proceedings on Tuesday and went on a strike in high courts and sessions courts, staging demonstrations to mark the eighth anniversary of the incident.
Reports said the culprits involved in the riots are still out of the clutches of the law as victims are waiting for justice. In Hyderabad, lawyers boycotted the court proceedings on the call of the Sindh Bar Council to protest the May 12 killings of political workers and lawyers in Karachi in 2007.
In Lahore, the lawyers community observed the black day to condemn the May 12 incident in Karachi. Black flags were hoisted at the buildings of respective bar offices, as well as meetings were held to pay tributes to the victims of May 12 violence.While in Multan, lawyers observed the black day throughout south Punjab. They wore black armbands and boycotted the courts.
In Muzaffargarh, lawyers observed the black day against the May 12, 2007 killings. They wore black armbands and boycotted court proceedings.District Bar Association president Sardar Muhammad Iqbal Khan Patafi told reporters that lawyers could not forget the May 12, 2007 when 42 innocent people were murdered.
Lawyers of the District Bar Association, Nankana, on Tuesday observed a complete strike against the May 12, 2007 killings.In Chakwal, on the appeal of the Pakistan Bar Council, the District Bar Association members on observed a complete strike to condemn the May 12 killings in Karachi. All judicial work remained suspended in Chakwal, Talagang and Choa Saidan Shah as no lawyer appeared before the courts. DBA president Ch Iftikhar Ahmed and Secretary General Ch Ahmed Raza demanded the government take action against those elements which were behind the incident.
The Islamabad Bar Council observed a full day strike in memory of the May 12, 2007 incident which took place in Karachi during the lawyers movement.The spokesman of the IBC, Chaudhry Khalid, said the strike was observed to condemn the sad incident.