October 1, 2007	Monday	Ramazan 18, 1428

KARACHI, Sept 30: The legal fraternity will boycott proceedings of the lower and high courts on Monday to protest against the police attacks on lawyers and journalists in Islamabad, which were sparked off by the approval of President General Pervez Musharraf’s candidature for re-election.

Senior leaders of the lawyers’ community said that the protest was planned to be peaceful, but the authorities should not provoke the lawyers by taking extra security measures and deploying a heavy police contingent unnecessarily, adding that the lawyers would counter any use of force.

“The Pakistan Bar Council has given a strike call across the country, which we totally support. Hence we will boycott court proceedings,” said Naeem Qureshi, General-Secretary of the Karachi Bar Association (KBA). “We have also called a general body meeting early on Monday, which would decide about the protest rally. If the general body gives the nod, we will hold the rally in the afternoon,” he added.

However, he made it clear that the lawyers would not accept any attempt to block their protest and if the government insisted, there would be a law and order situation.

“We (have) always managed peaceful protests and there (has been) no untoward incident from our side. It was always the police and the institutions concerned which (resorted to) violence. But this time we will counter such acts,” added Mr Qureshi.

At least three lawyers and a press photographer were wounded and four other lawyers arrested on Saturday when lawyers came out of the City Courts to form a human chain to protest against President Musharraf’s re-election attempt.

Detained lawyers released

Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed late on Saturday issued the release orders of the arrested lawyers. The City Courts police released member of the Sindh Bar Council Salahuddin Khan Gandapur, KBA Managing Committee member Saeed Qureshi, Zardad Khan and Sohail Noori early on Sunday.

Senior members of the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) approached the chief justice at his residence requesting the release of their arrested colleagues.

“The chief justice issued release orders on a personal guarantee,” SHCBA President Abrar Hasan said. “But we will continue the protest on Monday and will boycott court proceedings,” he added.

He said the SHCBA had also invited Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed, the lawyers’ presidential candidate, who would address the bar members.

Meanwhile, journalists also plan to take out a rally from the Karachi Press Club to the Governor’s House to register their protest against the police’s attacks on civil society and media-persons covering the scrutiny process of the presidential nomination papers.

Shamim-ur-Rahman, Secretary of the Karachi Union of Journalists, strongly condemned the brutal attack on journalists and civil society members, which, he said, exposed the government’s claims of freedom of expression.

“We will hold a peaceful rally and expect the administration will not obstruct it. If the government uses its machinery against our protest, it would be held responsible for the law and order situation,” he added.