PESHAWAR, Sept 22: The city lawyers unanimously resolved here on Saturday to besiege the provincial assembly building in order to prevent NWFP legislators from casting vote in the presidential election on October 6.

They called upon the Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman not to support General Pervez Musharraf in his re-election bid.

Lawyers boycotted the courts in protest against a raid on the office of Ishtiaq Ibraheem, secretary general of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA), and taking away by force of two of his clients allegedly by intelligence agencies.

Carrying banners and placards inscribed with anti- government slogans, they took out a procession from the high court. They were chanting slogans against General Musharraf and PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

Earlier, a joint general body meeting of the PHCBA and the Peshawar District Bar Association was held. Chaired by PHCBA president Abdul Lateef Afridi, the meeting unanimously adopted various resolutions.

It condemned the raid on Mr Ibraheem’s office and the rising wave of terrorism in the province and adjoining tribal areas.

Mr Afridi said that the intelligence agencies had started targeting the lawyers after they had launched the second phase of their movement for the ouster of General Musharraf. He added that their struggle would continue despite highhandedness by the agencies.

He said militancy had been encouraged by the government in Swat and Waziristan and innocent Pakhtuns were being killed in acts of terrorism.

The lawyers said that if the acts to intimidate their colleagues continued they would besiege offices of intelligence agencies.

Through another resolution the meeting condemned attempt on the life of ANP leader and former federal minister Muhammad Afzal Khan.