NAWABSHAH, March 19: Two District Bar Associations (DBA) on Monday suspended the membership of lawyers who had attended a meeting called by the Sindh chief minister in Karachi.

Nawabshah DBA in a meeting held at bar room suspended the membership of five lawyers including a district attorney while Badin DBA cancelled membership of two lawyers.

The members slammed Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim who they said had announced promotions inn the meeting in a bid to sabotage the cause of judiciary and legal fraternity. Ali Mohammad Dahiri presided over the meeting.

DBA General Secretary Ziaul Hassan Lanjar tabled a resolution demanding suspension of membership of district attorney Gul Mohammad Sehto, deputy district attorneys Saifur Rehman, Mushtaq Malik and Shaista Kaniz and advocate Ali Nawaz Memon. The meeting unanimously endorsed the resolution and also banned the suspended members’ entry into bar room.

In another resolution General Secretary Ziaul Hassan Lanjar demanded registration of a case against district attorney Gul Mohammad Sehto who he charged misguided two members Manzooran Gopang and Farida Altaf Bughio and took them to Karachi to meet with chief minister where they were pressurised, detained and blackmailed. The meeting adopted the resolution unanimously.

The meeting condemned use of batons on lawyers in Lahore and praised the members of judiciary who had tendered resignations in protest against what they called inhuman, unconstitutional and highly prejudicial decision of President Musharraf against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry.

The meeting criticised army’s role in political affairs, which it said had pushed the country to the brink of disaster.

The members announced boycott of court proceedings and observed a token hunger strike which they said would continue till March 21. Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Shabbir Zardari, Ameer Mahessar and Shahbaz Dahiri observed token hunger strike outside the district and sessions judge room demanding reinstatement of chief justice.

They raised slogans against district attorney and deputy district attorneys and demanded their immediate suspension.

Our Badin correspondent adds: The Badin DBA on Monday suspended membership of two lawyers for attending lawyers’ meeting called by Sindh chief minister in Karachi.

DBA President Iqbal Qasar said the DBA meeting had decided to suspend advocates Fayaz Abro and Ahsan Ahmed Bhurgari and Sindh Bar Council had been informed of the decision.

The lawyers boycotted court proceedings for over two hours in protest against government's action against the Chief Justice of Pakistan.