Pakistan Views

The lawyers are boycotting the courts across the country to observe a Protest Day today (Monday) on the appeal of Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and a rally was taken out in this connection.
In Lahore, the lawyers staged protest demos in front of High Court and other courts and raised slogans, whereupon, the LHC registrar, seeing the commotion and chaos outside the courts, called in police.
A heavy contingent of police arrived inside the premises of LHC. The lawyers raised slogans in front of LHC judge, on this, the security personnel forcibly showed them out of the court room and the court proceedings were called off later on.
The lawyers are on the strike in district courts and high courts in Islamabad and Rawalpindi as well and lawyer leaders said the lawyers of Islamabad and Rawalpindi will continue their boycott of courts until February 18 on the appeal by PBC.
Talking to Geo, Peshawar District Bar Association General Secretary Akhtar Buland said Black Day is being observed in Peshawar High Court and all lower courts in Peshawar.
Meantime, the reports regarding courts boycott received from several other cities including Sukkar, Multan, Wazirabad and Jaranwala.

The lawyers of the Lahore Bar also boycotted the courts and voiced slogans outside Aiwan-e-Adal and Session Courts.
Lahore High Court (LHC) lawyers staged a demonstration and raised vociferous slogans outside the court of LHC former president Justice Ahsan Bhawan, inside the court of Justice Molvi Anwarul Huque and outside the courts of other judges, while the security men had to intervene to drive out the lawyers from the court of Justice Molvi Anwarul Huque and the court was adjourned.
Following the incident, a delegation of the Lahore High Court Bar led by its president Firdaus Butt called on the LHC Chief Justice, Justice Zahid Hussain, when the CJ Zahid Hussain said that the lawyers wanted to boycott the courts may do so, but should not pressurize the judges. LHC CJ assured the Bar president that the cases would not be disposed off on lawyers’ staying away from the courts.

Former justice Nasira Javaid has said that the people of Pakistan will not allow President Pervez Musharraf to run away from the country and his name will be put in exist control list. Lawyers, civil society will continue its struggle till restoration of the judges and freedom of judiciary.
She was addressing a protest rally staged in front of the residence of the detained PPP leader and Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Atitaz Ahsan here on Sunday.
The protesters were holding placard and chanting slogans against President Pervez Musharraf and demanding the immediate restoration of Chief Justice Ifthikar Muhammad Chaudhry and other honourable judges of the courts.
The participants also condemned police brutality on lawyers who were protesting against the illegal and undemocratic action of President Musharraf. They demanded that severe action should be taken against the police officers, involved in brutal baton charge on the lawyers rally in Islamabad.
She said that people should participate in the general elections with zeal and cast their votes in favour of honest, patriotic candidates. Speaking on the occasion, the media co-ordinator of Supreme Court of Pakistan, Azhar Sadiq, said that SCBA Vice-President Gulam Nabi Bhatti, who received injuries in Islamabad protest at the hands of police had been hospitalised.
He demanded that police officer involved in this brutality on lawyers should be terminated from the services with immediate effect. He condemned the lawyers who took oath as judges on the PCO besides, criticised former PBA president Ahsan Boon.

Police used tear-gas and water cannon on Saturday to disperse hundreds of lawyers who tried to reach the residence of the deposed chief justice in Islamabad, witnesses said.
The demonstrators chanted slogans against President Pervez Musharraf, who deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
Chaudhry remains under detention despite the lifting of the emergency in mid-December.
Riot police wearing helmets and carrying shields fired tear-gas shells at the stone-throwing demonstrators and use water cannon to disperse them, witnesses said.

Lawyers are boycotting courts and taking out protest rallies across the country on Chaudhry Iftikhar Day to express their solidarity with the sacked judges. Lawyers of the Islamabad and Rawalpindi Bar Association are planning to march to dismissed chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s residence this afternoon. In Karachi, Justice retired Rana Baghwandas is addressing lawyers at the Sindh High Court Bar Association’s offices. Later, the protesters will march towards the press club. Lawyers are also gathered in the District courts in Lahore and are planning to march on the Mall. Authorities have vowed to stop the protest and heavy contingents of police are deployed in the area. Smaller protests are taking place in Peshawar and Quetta and heavy security is in place in all the cities where rallies are being taken out.