January 08, 2008	Tuesday	Zilhaj 28, 1428

PESHAWAR, Jan 7: Lawyers on Monday decided to observe a three-day strike in the NWFP from Jan 10 to protest against continuous detention of Supreme Court Bar Association president Aitzaz Ahsan, Ali Ahmad Kurd and Justice (retd) Tariq Mahmood.

A joint meeting of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association and the Peshawar District Bar Association was held after the expiry of a 72-hour deadline given by lawyers to the government for the release of their leaders.

The meeting, chaired by PHCBA president Abdul Lateef Afridi, decided to boycott all the courts for three days.

The NWFP Bar Council has been asked to endorse the decision.

The participants also discussed arrangements for a meeting of the Pakistan Bar Council and the Lawyers National Action Committee (NLAC) to be held here on Jan 13 to decide the future course of action.

The lawyers also took out a procession and marched up to the Peshawar Press Club.

Some of the lawyers had chained themselves symbolising the detention of judges and lawyers.The protesters raised slogans against President Musharraf and in favour of Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and Aitzaz Ahsan.

Condemning the detention of deposed judges, Mr Afridi said they still did not know under what authority or law the judges had been detained.

Eulogising the services of Mr Ahsan, Mr Kurd and Justice Mahmood, Qazi Anwer said that they had done a great job for the supremacy of law and independence of judiciary.

“Aitzaz, Ali Ahmad Kurd and Tariq Mahmood are our heroes and we have to decide now whether to leave our heroes in the lurch or to continue our movement till the reinstatement of all the judges and independence of the judiciary,” he said.

Qaiser Rasheed said they condemned the elements who had been trying reconciliation between the post-Nov 3 judges and the lawyers.

He said that they would not call off their movement and the boycott of the superior courts would continue.

“We can’t appear before the PCO judges as they had tarnished the image of the judiciary,” he said.