February 12, 2008	Tuesday	Safar 04 ,1429

PESHAWAR, Feb 11: With the Peshawar High Court remaining off limits for protesting lawyers since Feb 8, the NWFP Bar Council on Monday announced a complete boycott of all court proceedings until Feb 20.

The lawyers observed a ‘black day’ against manhandling and roughing up of their colleagues in Islamabad on Saturday. A large police contingent was deputed to prevent lawyers from entering the premises of high court and subordinate courts and even ordinary people were turned away.

Like the past three days, the high court presented a deserted look with only policemen hanging around.

The bar council’s vice-chairman, Qazi Mohammad Naeem, announced that in accordance with the decision of Pakistan Bar Council, the lawyers in the NWFP would boycott the proceedings of subordinate courts immediately and would continue it till Feb 20.

A delegation of lawyers called on the PHC Chief Justice Mohammad Raza Khan in connection with the FIR registered against 15 lawyers and the sealing of bar rooms, cafeteria and office of the PHC Bar Association’s president Abdul Lateef Afridi. After the meeting, Mr Afridi informed lawyers that the chief justice had assured that no action would be taken on the said FIR for the time being.

The lawyers’ delegation included Mr Afridi, Supreme Court Bar Association’s vice-president Saeed Akhter, PHCBA’s vice-president Mian Abdul Fayyaz, general secretary Ishtiaq Ibrahim, bar council member Parveen Akhter, Barrister Masood Kausar, Syed Attique Shah and Khalid Mahmood.

Mr Afridi said that the meeting was attended by three other judges – Justice Jehanzeb Raheem, Justice Raj Muhammad Khan and Justice Said Maroof Khan.

About the sealing of bar rooms, he said the chief justice had stated that as the decision had been taken collectively by judges, a decision about de-sealing could be taken after consultations with other judges. “We will be informed about that decision on Tuesday,” he said.

“We told the judges that the FIR had been registered on the basis of misinformation as lawyers had never misbehaved with any of the judges,” he said.

Mr Saeed Akhter said they had made it clear to the judges that they were not against any individual judge and their struggle was aimed at restoring the independence of judiciary and revival of the pre-Nov 3 constitution. He said that lawyers in Peshawar had never resorted to violence since Mar 9 when a reference was filed against deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

In a press release issued on Monday, Qazi Mohammad Naeem termed the FIR against the lawyers frivolous and said that on Thursday the lawyers were as usual observing the boycott of the high court when they were informed that a lawyer would be appearing before a bench.

Mr Naeem stated that only two lawyers had gone to the courtroom to persuade the said lawyer not to appear before the bench and they did not misbehave with any judge. He said that sections 121 and 121-A of the Pakistan Penal Code, dealing with waging war against the country, had been included in the FIR, which was a great injustice to the peaceful lawyers.

The meeting condemned the Charsadda bombing and offered Fateha for the departed souls.

“It was not a suicide bombing. We believe that a remote-controlled device had been used in it. The bombing was aimed at getting the general election postponed,” Mr Afridi said.