February 23, 2008	Saturday	Safar 15, 1429

KARACHI, Feb 22: Office-bearers of the Karachi Bar Association on Friday condemned the crackdown on a lawyers’ rally and announced a complete boycott of court proceedings at the City Courts on Saturday.

KBA president Mahmoodul Hasan told Dawn that legal proceedings would remain closed on Saturday in protest against the police action and vowed to continue the ongoing struggle till the reinstatement of all deposed judges.

Police arrested around 15 lawyers during Thursday’s lawyers-police clashes but they were released later in the day on the directions of the district and sessions judge, South, Arjun Ram.

However, the police registered an FIR (15/8) at the City Courts police station under Sections 147, 148, 149, 353 and 337-F against the protesting lawyers. An official of the police station told Dawn that an FIR was lodged on behalf of the state against KBA secretary-general Naeem Qureshi, managing committee members Riaz Afandi, Saeed Quershi, Waheed Baloch, Raja Arif, Syed Ameer Hyder, Tahir Akbar, Munsif Jan, Tahir Rahman, Anwar Ahmed, Syed Mohammad Zia, Syed Fateh Ali Shah and Jahangir Raheejo for rioting, unlawful gathering, injuring policemen and deterring them from discharging their duties. Around 30 unknown lawyers were also nominated in the FIR, he said, adding that about seven policemen were injured during the clashes.

Meanwhile, a group of lawyers with 16 deposed judges of the Sindh High Court and Justice Ghulam Rabbani, a deposed judge of the Supreme Court, will leave for Hyderabad in a ‘judicial bus’ from the SHC on Saturday at 9am to attend the Hyderabad Bar Association’s oath-taking. Office-bearers of the Sindh High Court Bar, Karachi Bar Association, Malir Bar Association and other lawyers will accompany the deposed judges.