RAWALPINDI, July 30: Like in other parts of the country, members of the Rawalpindi Bar Association (RBA) on Tuesday boycotted court proceedings in protest against the Sialkot Jail incident in which three judges were killed in a police operation on Friday.

From the morning till the end of working hours, none of the more than 1,300 members of the RBA attended proceedings at any of the courts after receiving a call from the Punjab Bar Council.

In a meeting, presided over by RBA President Mohammad Ilyas, the lawyers passed a resolution condemning the incident. The resolution demanded of the government to conduct a fair judicial inquiry into the matter and make its outcome public.

It further asked the authorities to bring to book all those police officials who had allegedly helped the prisoners in bringing weapons into the jail. The resolution expressed dissatisfaction over the law and order situation in the country as well as lawlessness in jails.

The lawyers chanted slogans and condemned the incident as well as the failure of the law-enforcement agencies to provide security to the judicial officers.

On Monday the lawyers had also observed a half-day strike against the incident, asking the government to ensure the safety of the lives of judicial officers as well as the common man.

Since the occurrence of the incident, the functioning of most of the courts has been affected due to the low attendance of judges and lawyers in courts. Many people who came to the courts from various parts of the district had to return to their areas without seeing any development in their cases.

Most of the lawyers restricted themselves to either the bar or their chambers. They termed the incident a black chapter in the history of the country, in which, they added, the lives of the citizens had never been safe.

“If judges are not safe, then how could one guarantees the safety of an ordinary man in this country,” said Shaikh Mujeebur Rehman, a lawyer.