July 04, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 29, 1429

KARACHI, July 3: Legal proceedings at the City Courts and District Courts Malir remained suspended on Thursday as the lawyers stayed away from courts in response to a strike call given by the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) to protest against the ousting of judges.

The cases of the undertrial prisoners who were brought to the City Courts could not be heard due to the lawyers’ strike and were taken back to their respective prisons. However, the judges remained in their chambers.

Meanwhile, the lawyers speaking at a general body meeting of the Karachi Bar Association, held at the Shuhada-i-Punjab Hall of the City Courts vowed to continue the ongoing movement till the reinstatement of all the deposed judges.

The president of KBA, Mahmoodul Hasan, in a resolution condemned the delay in the restoration of the judiciary to its Nov-2 position. He also rejected the PPP’s proposed constitutional package. The resolution also condemned the unprecedented price hike in petroleum and gas prices and the ongoing operation in Fata and urged the government to withdraw the price hike, and to resolve the issue of Fata through dialogue.—Staff Reporter