KARACHI, Sept 12: The legal fraternity continued on Wednesday to boycott court proceedings for the third consecutive day in protest against the killing of an anti-government lawyer.

However, they said that normal proceedings would resume on Thursday.

Lawyers across the province observed a three-day boycott of legal proceedings to mourn the death of Raja Mohammed Riaz, who remained in the forefront of the campaign for the reinstatement of the chief justice.

The 52-year-old lawyer, who hailed from Pind Dadan Khan and was a father of five, was shot dead near the Arts Council here on Monday morning when he was going to the City Courts in the cab he had hired for pick-and-drop services from his Model Colony house for the past two years.

The City Courts premises continued to present a deserted look as stamp vendors did not open for business while the two canteens remained closed. The attendance of court staff was also thin.

A few judges and judicial magistrates did turn up, but they also left the court premises shortly afterwards, remaining confined to their respective chambers. The authorities also did not bring the undertrial prisoners for hearings from the three prisons in the city.

No legal proceedings were held in the accountability courts and anti-narcotics court in Clifton. The situation at the anti-terrorism courts on Maulvi Tameezuddin Khan Road (Queen’s Road) and District Courts Malir was not much different and subsequently the judges put off the hearing of cases.

Meanwhile, the Karachi Bar Association held a general body meeting at the Shuhada-i-Punjab Hall of the City Courts. Several lawyers addressed the largely attended meeting.

KBA Vice-President Qadir Khan said the lawyers were united and they would thwart every attempt aimed at dividing them.

He said lawyers would resume their professional duties from Thursday after observing the three-day boycott.

However, he said the lawyers would stage a sit-in in front of the office of the chief secretary on Saturday if the culprits behind Mr Riaz’s killing were not arrested by then.

Meanwhile, the KBA also demanded stringent measures for the security of lawyers on the premises of the City Courts.