April 01, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 23, 1429

HYDERABAD, March 31: Lawyers boycotted courts across the province on Monday in protest against superior court officials’ bid to eject deposed judge Khalilur Rahman Ramday from his residence in Islamabad and termed it an attempt to cerate misunderstandings between the lawyer community and the new government.

They demanded arrest of the officials responsible for the incident and said they would continue their struggle till the expulsion of the dictator and the reinstatement of all the deposed judges.

In Hyderabad, lawyers wore black armbands and staged a rally, which emerged from the civil courts building and terminated at the starting point after marching different roads of the city.

They hoisted black flags on the offices of District Bar Association (DBA) and High Court Bar Association (HCBA) and held a general body meeting, which highly condemned the ransacking of the judge’s residence.

Hyderabad DBA President Chaudhry Bashir Gujjar and secretary Nisar Durrani strongly criticised the supreme court officials’ attempt to dispossess the deposed judge of his residence.

They said that the lawyers would continue their struggle till they expelled the dictator and demanded arrest of officials responsible for the shameful incident.

A delegation of the Hyderabad chapter of HCBA office-bearers led by its president Abdul Sattar Kazi, general ecretary Allah Bachayo Soomro, joint secretary Ayaz Tunio, Abdul Majeed Bhatti and Noorul Haq Qureshi left for Quetta to participate in the reception of the deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on his arrival in his hometown after release.

In Sanghar, lawyers boycotted court proceedings and Sanghar DBA President Anwar Mehmood Nizamani termed the incident an attempt to create misunderstanding between lawyers and the new government.

He said that the lawyer community was well aware of such tactics and their struggle would continue till the restoration of all the deposed judges.

In Mirpurkhas, DBA members boycotted court proceedings throughout the district. Lawyers in Umerkot also boycotted courts.

In Dadu, lawyers boycotted courts and held a meeting in the DBA room, which was presided over by DBA President Shafi Mohammad Memon.

The meeting unanimously passed a resolution condemning the incident and demanding an impartial enquiry into what led to the shameful act and who were responsible for it.

In Nawabshah, DBA members boycotted court proceedings. They termed the action shameless and vowed to continue struggle for the independence of judiciary.

Nawabshah DBA President Ali Mohammad Dahiri, meanwhile, along with other colleagues left for Quetta on Monday to welcome Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry.

In Larkana, the lawyers boycotted court proceedings in the circuit bench of Sindh High Court and lower courts in response to the Supreme Court Bar Association’s call for boycott.