January 05, 2008	Saturday	Zilhaj 25, 1428

HYDERABAD, Jan 4: Lawyers in Sindh are likely to revise their strategy of boycotting judges who took oath under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) in the wake of registration of thousands of cases against PPP activists in order to be able to apply for pre-arrest bails or file petitions against police high-handedness.

After the imposition of emergency and removal of superior court judges, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) had restrained lawyers from appearing before PCO judges throughout the country.

Dawn has learnt that the Hyderabad chapter of the High Court Bar Association (HCBA) is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting of its executive committee on Saturday to discuss various issues, including that of allowing lawyers to appear before PCO judges. The meeting has been convened by HCBA president Abdul Sattar Kazi.

Sources said that over 700 cases had so far been reported to the Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) judge, Hyderabad, Akhlaq Hussain Larik.

ATC, Hyderabad, deals with 12-districts of the defunct Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas divisions including Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar, Tando Mohammad Khan, Matiari, Dadu, Jamshoro, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Tharparkar, Badin, Thatta and Sanghar.

The court has granted police custody in at least than 22 cases.

All cases are being lodged under non-bailable offence of 6/7 Anti Terrorism Act (ATA). The accused faces arrest or they have to appear before the Sindh High Court for protective bails.

The cases are mostly being lodged on behalf of the state. Some FIRs had been filed by private individuals.

PPP had earlier formed a 33-member legal aid committee, headed by Allah Bachayo Soomro, who is also the general secretary of the Hyderabad chapter of the HCBA.

Mr Soomro maintained that in each FIR 1,000 to 2,000 “unknown people” had also been accused. In order to restrain the police, he said, constitutional petitions would also be filed before the SHC.