References against judges

Lawyers observe complete strike in KP

By Bureau report

PESHAWAR: The legal fraternity of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday observed a complete strike as the Supreme Judicial Council held a hearing into the presidential references filed against two superior court judges, including Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice KK Agha.

On the call of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council, no lawyer appeared in the Peshawar High Court and district courts in the provincial metropolis to record protest at the presidential references against the superior courts judges.

The courts wore a deserted look because the judges simply adjourned the cases for the next hearing.

Black flags were hoisted on the premises of the courts and lawyers wore black bands around their arms.

The Peshawar High Court Association (PHCBA), Vice-President, Ali Zaman, told reporters that the lawyers boycotted courts across the province over the presidential references against the superior courts judges.

He said lawyers’ leadership from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including PHCBA President Abdul Latif Afridi, General

Secretary Abid Ali, Vice-chairman, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council, Muhammad Saeed Khan, and members and President of the Peshawar Bar Association Taimur Khan and others participated in the lawyers’ peaceful protest outside the Supreme Court building.

The PHCBA vice-president said the PHCBA had already passed a resolution against the government very act and demanded it to withdraw the references.

In the statement, the PHCBA had strongly condemned the references against the honest judges of the superior judiciary and said these were nothing but a witch-hunt.

It was stated that the government was targeting the superior court judges through the references.

The presidential references against the two judges invited criticism from the legal fraternity with the Supreme Court Bar Association demanding President Dr Arif Alvi’s impeachment for filing the reference.

The bar associations across the country are expressing solidarity with the judges of superior courts judges.

A former Supreme Court judge, who had taken oath under the 2007 Provisional Constitution Order (PCO), was hired to file the references by the ministry of law and justice.