Lawyers warn of taking to the streets if Owais Shah not rescued

Karachi Bar Association, Malir Bar Association and Sindh Bar Council criticise govt,

police and Rangers for failing to find SHC CJ’s kidnapped son

Karachi

Karachi’s lawyers continued their boycott of courts on Friday in protest against the kidnapping Owais Ali Shah, son of Sindh High Court Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, and warned that they would take their movement to the streets if he was not rescued.

The representatives of the Karachi Bar Association, the Malir Bar Association and the Sindh Bar Council condemned the kidnapping and criticised police and Rangers for failing to rescue Owais.

KBA president Mehmoodul Hassan said Owais was not only the SHC chief justice’s son, but also their colleague and a KBA member as well.

He added that the authorities had claimed that they would find Owais and arrest his kidnappers, but nothing had happened so far.

He warned that the lawyers would not sit idle and they could take extreme steps against the government for their failure to rescue Owais.

KBA secretary Haq Nawaz Talpur and MBA president Ejaz Bangash said lawyers would take to the streets if their colleague was not rescued soon. The representatives of the lawyers’ fraternity also expressed deep concerns over the worsening law and order situation in Karachi.

They noted that the government had failed to bring an end to kidnappings and target killings.

They recalled the success of their movement in 2007 for the reinstatement of the then chief justice of Pakistan.

They said lawyers had always raised their voice for the cause of democracy and against injustices and undemocratic actions of past rulers.

The representatives of the lawyers’ associations announced that they would continue boycotting courts in protest against Owai’s kidnapping.

On Friday, the courts wore a deserted look for the third consecutive day since lawyers had launched their protest.

Owais was kidnapped on June 21. Lawyers did not attend the hearings held at the City Courts and the Malir Courts.

They also did not turn up for the special courts and tribunals and this led to the adjournment of hundreds of cases. Some judges had to hear cases pertaining to bails and remands at their chambers.

In 2007, the lawyers of the country had launched a movement against Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s government for sacking the then CJP Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.

They boycotted courts until the CJP was reinstated the judges appointed under a new law introduced by Musharraf were removed from their posts.