November 13, 2007	Tuesday	Ziqa’ad 02, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Nov 12: As lawyers at the district and sessions courts here ended their full day boycott of court proceedings and limited it to three hours daily, their counterparts in Rawalpindi stayed away for the seventh day against imposition of emergency rule in the country.

After observing a complete strike for a week, the lawyers in the lower judiciary of the federal capital started appearing before the courts. However, the black coats started a three-hour boycott of the courts on a daily basis along with a hunger strike.

No case could be taken up for hearing and the crowded courtrooms and its compound wore a deserted look for the whole week as a result of the strike.

The twelve courts of seven civil judges, a senior civil judge, three additional sessions judges and a sessions judge started working at 8am on Monday. The courts, however, took up cases of urgent nature including bail and stay.

The court proceedings were suspended at 11am, when the lawyers again went on strike and boycotted the courts for three hours besides observing a hunger strike and holding a rally.

About 30 lawyers sat on the hunger strike in front of the Islamabad Bar Association office. Later, over 400 lawyers gathered in the court compound and staged a protest rally against the emergency rule.

The protesters were holding placards inscribed with anti- government and anti-Musharraf slogans. During the two-hour-long protest, they marched in and around the court area and their representatives addressed the protesters before they dispersed.

The personnel of Islamabad police and Punjab Constabulary were still deployed around the courts to stop the protesters from spreading to the nearby roads.

The Islamabad Bar Association said its 15 lawyers had been arrested by law-enforcement agencies under 3-MPO. Later, five of them were sent to the Adiala Jail and the remaining released.

In Rawalpindi, lawyers continued their boycott despite government’s efforts to bring normality to the courts by allowing people to enter the premises without any hurdles.

Notwithstanding the relaxation given by the government, the lawyers did not appear before the courts for the seventh day on the call of Pakistan Bar Council.

Some 100 lawyers participated in a hurriedly called meeting of the District Bar Association (DBA) to condemn the emergency rule. The meeting was headed by joint secretary DBA Shahbaz Ahmed Rajput, as other office-bearers have been arrested.

The lawyers criticised the government for what they called unprecedented crackdown on the legal fraternity.

They said no coercion could subdue their struggle for the supremacy of law. Criticising the decision of those judges who took oath under the PCO, the lawyers said it tantamount to legalising the unconstitutional step of General Musharraf. They also castigated the efforts to curb the powers of bar associations.

They demanded immediate restoration of the constitution, reinstatement of all deposed judges, release of all lawyers, journalists, civil society members and political workers, formation of a bench consisting of the same 11 judges to decide the case of eligibility of the president, holding of free and fair election under an independent election commission and end to blockade of private TV channels.

The lawyers vowed to continue their struggle against the unlawful actions of the government.