Lawyers strike today against last year’s Quetta blast

LAHORE: Lawyers of Lahore Bar Association (LBA) Monday announced observing strike on Tuesday (today) to condemn last year Quetta blast which claimed lives of 60 lawyers.

The LBA announced the strike on the call of Pakistan Bar Council (PBC). The PBC executive committee announced holding the strike against the terrorists attack. The lawyers throughout Pakistan will observe a full-day strike and mourning. The LBA lawyers will not attend courts and wear black armbands to condemn the brutal attack.

Notice to ministry: The Lahore High Court on Monday issued notice to the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan for laying off three employees including a disabled man from their services at its Lahore office.

Justice Mudassir Khalid Abbasi took up the petition moved by Ali Raza, Faheem Naseem and Asghar Ali. The petitioners’ counsel Advocate Sheraz Zaka argued that the ministry had appointed them as Naib Qasid and security guards at the office of Administrator Jammu & Kashmir State Property, Lahore, last year in February.

The counsel argued that they were regularised but had been laid off and made redundant from the office of Jammu and Kashmir State Property without any prior notice. They said the authorities concerned did not issue any speaking order to stop them from working.

The petitioners’ counsel submitted that Ali Raza was a poor and needy citizen and was suffering from disability but he was laid off from the job. The counsel said they all had been denied entry into the department. He prayed the court to order the authorities to allow them perform their services.

Justice Abbasi observed that when the petitioner suffering with disability was regularized along with others then how he can be laid off from the department without any prior notice or hearing. The judge issued notice to the ministry and adjourned the hearing until August 16.