KARACHI : Lawyers boycott courts in protest against killing of colleagues
By A Reporter
KARACHI, Sept 17: The legal fraternity on Monday observed a complete boycott of court proceedings in the City Courts and Malir District Courts against the killing of KBA member Ateeq Ahmed Qadri.
The lawyers stayed away from courts and held a condolence meeting at the City Courts’ Shuhada-i-Punjab Hall. Undertrial prisoners were brought to the courts but were taken back to the prisons without being produced in the courts as the lawyers did not appear in the cases. The judges, however, remained present in their chambers.
The lawyers offered fateha for their late colleagues -- Raja Pervaiz Kiani, Raja Riaz and Atteeq Ahmed Qadri. A number of speakers condemned the killing of the lawyers and termed it an anti-lawyers conspiracy.
KBA president and Sindh Bar Council member Iftikhar Javaid Qazi, commenting on a statement of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief, said Altaf Hussein had used abusive language against the lawyers and then apologised for it. He said the lawyers must be aware of what was happening on a daily basis and they must not be fooled by the ever-changing statements [of politicians].
He expressed his dissatisfaction over what he described as insecure situation in and around the City Courts and asked the officials concerned to fulfill their responsibilities of protecting the lawyers. Mr Qazi asked the KBA members to think and give practicable suggestions as to what steps could be taken for the protection and safety of the lawyers in the city.
Security cameras
Mr Qazi later told Dawn that his association was using its own limited resources to install five cameras on the court premises. He said some of the less necessary gates would be kept shut and police guards would keep vigilance on the movement of people so that terrorists could not enter the areas.
KBA General-Secretary Naeem Qureshi, condemning the killing of lawyers, said that in order to find a solution to the situation the KBA had planned to hold a lawyers’ national convention in Karachi to discuss the problems being faced by the legal fraternity so that the next line of action and a joint strategy could be decided for the lawyers’ protection.
He urged the lawyers not to make political speeches and instead give suggestions as to what could be the solution of the prevailing tense situation where the lawyers were feeling themselves completely insecure.
Mr Qureshi alleged that secret agencies and the establishment were trying to harm the lawyers’ unity, adding that the process of hatching conspiracies had started on March 9, with the presidential reference against the chief justice of Pakistan.
“The Sindh government and law-enforcement agencies are responsible for the killing of our colleagues and we will invite lawyers’ representatives from all over the country to debate the challenging atmosphere,” he said.
The victims’ families would be paid Rs100,000 each, he said, and demanded that the Sindh chief secretary honour his promise and pay Rs1 million each to the heirs of Raja Riaz and Atteq Qadri as compensation.
Politicians attacked
He criticised the politicians’ role and said they had not played an effective role in supporting the lawyers, and rather focused only on their own interests.
A senior lawyer, Hassan Mehmood Jaffery, said the killing of lawyers was a matter of grave concern and held the rulers responsible for the murders. He said the lawyers had the right to mourn the death of their colleagues, to condemn the ugly incidents and to point out those involved in the conspiracies.
“I am ready to face the consequences of calling a spade, a spade,” he said and added that those who spoke against the lawyers were responsible for the murder of lawyers.
Referring to the MQM statements about submitting affidavits, he said that coming to courts in processions of thousands of people was not the way to submit affidavits.
“Those having any complaint against us should come and hold negotiations with the lawyers, but killing innocent people is barbarism,” he added.
Sindh Bar Council member Saathi M. Ishaque condemned the policies of the Sindh government and said Chief Minister Sindh Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim and Governor Ishratul Ibad did not bother to issue a condolence statement to the press over the killing of the lawyers which, he said, showed their animosity to the lawyers’ community.
The lawyers, he said, were struggling for the protection of the country and supremacy of the constitution, adding that the rules were pushing the city of lights into darkness.
SBC member Salahuddin Gandapur rejected the proposals of holding negotiations with what he described as the killers. However, he appreciated the idea of holding a lawyers’ national convention.
Mr Gandapupr proposed that civil society, media persons, and people of various organisations should be taken into confidence to get their support against violent incidents.
He said if the lawyers were not provided protection, they would be forced to take out shroud-clad processions and stage a protest demonstration in front of the Parliament House, the Presidency and the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad.
SBC member Mohammad Aaqil, Naheed Afzal, Syed Ejaz Ali, Musawwir Ali, Mohammad Ghaffar Khan Kakar, Haseeb-ur-Rehman in their speeches said the government had failed to maintain its writ.
Mr Afzal alleged that terrorists were enjoying support of the rulers, adding that jewellery and purses were being snatched from women and innocent people were being killed but the police and Rangers were playing the role of silent spectators.
“The MQM has always been opposing the Rangers and demanding their expulsion from the populated area, but it is now totally silent on the issue,” he said.
Appreciating the statement of Altaf Hussain, he said, “We will accept his apology with the condition that he will not repeat the mistake of abusing the lawyers”.
Meanwhile, advocates Mehmood Qureshi and Naseer Abbasi in a statement said the KBA should not become a tool in the hands of political parties and must play its role as a welfare body.
They also appreciated Altaf Hussain’s statement and proposed holding of negotiations with those having any complaint against the lawyers.
SHCBA resolution
A general-body meeting of the Sindh High Court Bar Association, presided over by Abrar Hussain, passed a resolution on Monday calling for the arrest of the lawyers’ killers and expressed concern over the abusive language used against the lawyers by some political leaders.
The resolution says: “The barbaric, inhuman and extremely condemnable assassination of the two lawyers -– Mohammad Riaz Khan (Raja Riaz) and Ateeq Qadri – who had been in the forefront of the struggle for the independence of the judiciary has grieved all civilized people in general and the lawyers’ community in particular.
“The lawyers, unlike many of our political leaders, are educated, conscientious and patriotic citizens. They are only concerned with the establishment of the rule of law, independence of the judiciary and supremacy of the constitution.
“The ongoing movement of the lawyers is to achieve those high ideals. Therefore, the animosity being expressed against them by some political leaders is simply misplaced and unwarranted. We reject all such expressions and use of abusive language against the lawyers.
“We have called a meeting of all the Bar Representatives of Karachi on Sept 21 at 11am in the Sindh High Court Bar Association when we will decide the future course of action.
“In the meantime, we call upon all the bar associations in Sindh to hoist black flags on their premises and pass resolutions urging the authorities to immediately arrest those responsible for the murder of Raja Riaz and Atiq Qadri,” the resolution concluded.
