References against judges: Lawyers observe strike in KP

PESHAWAR: The legal fraternity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday observed complete strike to protest against what they called sham references filed by the government against the Supreme Court judge Qazi Faez Isa and Justice KK Agha of the Sindh High Court.

The lawyer community observed strike on the call of Pakistan Bar Council, which was extended by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council and Peshawar High Court Bar Association in the province. Black flags were hoisted on the premises of the courts and lawyers wore black bands around their arms.

In the provincial capital, the lawyers observed complete boycott of the Peshawar High Court and sub-ordinate district courts. The bar associations also passed resolutions against the government and demanded it to withdraw the references. In his statement, Peshawar High Court Bar Association President Abdul Latif Afridi said that the protest was observed over the shameful reference filed against Supreme Court Judge Justice Faez Isa and Justice K.K Agha of Sindh High Court.

He said that the references against the honest judges of the superior judiciary were nothing but a witch-hunt. He stated that the government was targeting the superior court judges through the references. The opposition group of lawyers in KP also observed strike on the call of Pakistan Bar Council.

The opposition group of KP lawyers said that they staged the one-day strike to maintain unity and they would not be part of the lawyers’ movement over this issue in future.

The opposition lawyers group consisted of eight members of KP Bar Council, including Shah Faisal Utmankhel from Peshawar, Tahir Waseem Diyal and Hashmat Nawaz Khan Sadozai from Dera Ismail Khan, Najibullah Khan from Lakki Marwat, Azhar Rahim from Mardan, Ijaz Ali Khan from Swabi, Muhammad Shireen Khan from Batkhela, Swat, and Syed Shah Faisal from Abbottabad. They wanted the Supreme Judicial Council to decide the matter on merit.