Lawyers in KP boycott courts against NJPMC decisions

PESHAWAR: The lawyers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday observed complete strike to press the demand for the reversal of decisions of National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) on sections 22-A and 22-B of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). Support the call of Pakistan Bar Council, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council announced that the lawyers would participate in the sit-in to be held on April 25 at Constitution Avenue in Islamabad from 8am to 4pm.

Like other parts of the province, the lawyers boycotted 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 every 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 -- the withdrawal of the powers of Justice of Peace from the sessions judges under Section 22-A and 22-B of Criminal Procedure Code 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.

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 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. On the other hand, the NJPMC said that through the model courts across the country hundreds of murder and narcotics cases were decided in four to five days and the people were getting speedy justice through this new initiative in the judicial system.