April 19, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 01, 1428

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QUETTA, April 18: Lawyers boycotted proceedings of courts in the provincial capital and other district headquarters of the province on Wednesday on the call of the Pakistan Bar Council and the Supreme Court

Bar Association demanding the withdrawal of the presidential reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

The protestors led by Hadi Shakeel Ahmed and Qahar Khan, president and general secretary of the Balochistan High Court Bar Association took out the procession from the district court and passed through Shara-i-Iqbal, Meezan Chowk and staged a sit in for some time at the Manan Chowk.

The lawyers holding black flags chanted slogans in favour of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary and the rule of law and condemned the presidential reference vowing to continue their struggle till the reinstatement of the Chief Justice. The spokesman of the Balochistan High Court

Bar Association claimed that the fellow lawyers also boycotted the proceedings of courts in Sibi, Khuzdar, Turbat, Hub, Pishin, Loralai, Zhob and others areas of Balochistan to back the demands of the Pakistan Bar Council and the Supreme Court Bar Association.

Meanwhile, members of the PML-N observed token hunger strike in the camp established at the Meezan Chowk from morning till evening to protest against the government for filing the unconstitutional reference against the chief justice.

Those who observed the strike included Akhlaq Shah, Nizam Khan, Mohammad Hussain, Abdul Samad Metherzai, Mir Gohar Khan and Rais Shakeel.

The activists of Tehrik-i-Insaf held a demonstration outside the press Club, chanted slogans against President Musharraf and demanded the reinstatement of the chief justice.