Lawyers observe strike in KP

PESHAWAR: The lawyers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday observed a complete strike 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 FIRs under the same sections.

Like other parts of the province, the lawyers also observed complete boycott from courts in the provincial capital. They observed a strike on the call of the Pakistan Bar Council, which had announced that complete strike would be observed each Thursday till acceptance of the demands.

The PHC Bar Association general secretary Yasir Khattak said that the strike call was for the two main decisions, i.e. one, 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, and second, the trial of the murder case within four days.

“Our strike is for litigants. Tomorrow, people may face further injustice at the hands of the police, who normally discourage and avoid registration of FIRs,” he added. 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) and withdrew the power of Justice of Peace from the Session Court for entertaining the application for registration of the FIRs.

The NJPMC this decision was also challenged in the Peshawar High Court and Lahore High Court, in which the petitioners prayed the court to declare the decision illegal and void.