December 12, 2008	Friday	Zilhaj 13, 1429

KARACHI, Dec 11: The city courts and Malir district courts wore a deserted look as few lawyers, litigants and staff members turned up on Thursday, a working day after three consecutive public holidays announced on account of Eidul Azha.

Although 88 under-trial prisoners were brought to the judicial lockup of the City Courts from different prisons for the scheduled hearing of their cases but they had to be taken back to their cells as most lawyers observed a boycott of court proceedings in response to the Pakistan Bar Council’s appeal for a weekly protest.

The protest is part of the legal fraternity’s ongoing campaign against the November 2007 ousting of chief justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and several other judges of the superior courts.

The judges were removed under the Provincial Constitution Order promulgated on Nov 3, 2007 by the then president and army chief Pervez Musharraf.

The Karachi Bar Association (KBA) and the Malir Bar Association could not hold their respective general body meetings due to insufficient strength of the present members.