Lawyers’ body wants military checkposts in KP abolished

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) through a unanimous resolution on Thursday demanded removal of all military checkposts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The demand was made at an emergency general body meeting. It had been requisitioned by former PHCBA general secretary Muhammad Ayaz Khan and Fazal Khan at the PHC Barroom over the registration of First Information Reports (FIRs) against the peaceful protesters in Swat district and invoking terrorism charges against them.

The protesters were demanding removal of checkposts and an end to harassment at the security checkpoints. The PHCBA general secretary moved the resolutions, which were unanimously adopted by the general body of the lawyers.

The PHCBA demanded the provincial government to withdraw the FIRs filed against the citizens and set them free if their arrests were made after the registration of the FIRs.

The PHC Bar Association, through the resolution, decided to file application in the Supreme Court for removal of all the military checkposts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The PHCBA also requested the Chief Justice of Supreme Court to take suo moto notice of the issue as the citizens were being humiliated at these checkposts.

The lawyers’ body also decided to convene a national conference of lawyers and political parties’ leaders over the issue to devise a strategy for removal of the checkposts in the province.

In his address, PHCBA President Arbab Usman said the issue could not be solved only through a writ petition. He said the lawyers’ community should take the political parties leaders into confidence and win their support on the issue.

At the same time, he said, the lawyers also do not want to enter into confrontation with the security agencies and defame them. However, he said, the issue should be taken seriously and resolved. He condemned the registration of FIRs against the peaceful protesters in Swat.

The PHCBA former general secretary, Muhammad Ayaz Khan, argued that it os a great injustice to the peaceful protesters to charge them with anti-state activities.

“It is strange to book peaceful citizens on terrorism charges when they are demanding peace and fundamental right of free movement and seeking an end to their harassment at the military checkposts,” he said.

He said the Supreme Court of Pakistan should take suo moto notice of the violation of the fundamental rights and free movement of citizens as they face harassment at military checkposts.

A former PHCBA president, Muhammad Isa Khan, alleged that citizens were being humiliated at the checkpoints. He said the former chief justice of PHC, who is now judge of the Supreme Court, was the only judge who had made progress in the cases filed for removal of military checkposts.

Senior lawyers including Rahim Shah, Khanzada, Wali Khan Afridi, and Shahab Khattak also addressed the meeting and condemned the registration of FIRs against the protesters.