Lawyers to boycott courts on 26th against colleagues’ killings

The legal fraternity announced on Saturday that it would boycott court proceedings on October 26 to protest against the non-arrest of the culprits involved in the Quetta and Mardan blasts and the killing of lawyers.

The lawyers also demanded that an independent commission should be formed to probe into corruption and recover ill-gotten money.

The decisions came after a Sindh Bar Council’s inter-provincial committee meeting attended by the bar councils members of all provinces.

The meeting reviewed the authorities’ progress in the Quetta and Mardan blasts, the Supreme Judicial Council, the conduct of judges against lawyers, the law and order situation, the missing person cases, the performance of law colleges and universities and the human rights violation in occupied Kashmir.

The lawyers adopted a resolution condemning the Quetta and Mardan blasts and demanded the arrest of culprits involved in these attacks.

The lawyers expressed their dissatisfaction over the performance of the Supreme Judicial Council and demanded that pending complaints against judges before it should be heard and decided expeditiously. Besides, a member of each bar council should also be included in council after necessary amendments in the law.

The bar councils’ representatives urged that they should be consulted for the appointment of high court judges. They also demanded the elimination of corruption and favouritism in the judiciary.

The participants of the meeting demanded the protection of lawyers and called for issuance of arms licences to them.

They suggested that the word “may” in the Bar Council Act’s Section 57 should be replaced with “shall” and an annual budget grant be allocated for each bar council.

The bar councils’ members also demanded the recovery of all missing persons and an end to human rights violations in the country.

It was resolved that honour killing laws should be strictly implemented and the rights of minorities and women be protected.

The lawyers demanded that an independent commission be constituted to probe corruption and recovery of ill-gotten money. They were of the view that democratic culture should be promoted in the country to strengthen the democratic institutions.

They condemned Indian forces atrocities in occupied Kashmir and demanded the government to play its due role to end the violation of human rights in occupied Kashmir. They said that the Kashmir issue should be resolved through UN resolutions. They demanded that plea bargain option be removed from the national accountability law and NAB should be made as independent investigation agency which could also act against the influential government persons who were involved in corruption and corrupt practices.

The lawyers resolved that inter-provincial bar council meeting would be held on quarterly basis and decided that next meeting to be held on November 19 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to review the implementation on lawyer bodies’ decisions. They announced complete boycott of court proceedings on October 26 against non-arrest of culprits involved in the Quetta and Mardan blasts, target killings of lawyers and improper conduct of judges against lawyers.