NJPMC’s decision: Lawyers boycott courts in KP on second day

PESHAWAR: The lawyers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa observed strike on the second consecutive day on Thursday to press the demand for reversal of decisions of National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) on sections 22-A and 22-B of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and restoration of the previous practice of submission of the applications for registration of the first information report (FIR) under the same sections.

The Pakistan Bar Council had given the call for a two-day strike against the decisions of the NJPMC. The lawyers in the provincial capital stayed away from the courts on the second consecutive day. On March 11, the NJPMC under the chairmanship of Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa had resolved that the applications under Section 22-A and Section 22-B under CrPC may be entertained by the Superintendent of Police (complaints).

The PHC Bar Association general secretary Yasir Khattak, Peshawar Bar Association President Wakeel Zaman, People’s Lawyers Forum’s Jamil Qamar and other senior lawyers termed the NJPMC decision about the trial of murder case within four days as impractical.

They said the withdrawal of the powers of Justice of Peace from the sessions judges under section 22-A and 22-B of CrPC for an order of the FIR after police refusal on the application of complainant would greatly affect common people and leave the people on the mercy of police, which normally discourages and avoid registration of the FIRs.

However, they said as per the decision of the Pakistan Bar Council, the lawyers would observe a complete strike on every Thursday in a week till reversal of the decisions by the NJPMC.