January 02, 2009	Friday	Muharram 04, 1430

KARACHI, Jan 1: Lawyers observed their weekly boycott of legal proceedings at the city courts and the Malir district courts on Thursday.

They were demanding reinstatement of the deposed judges.

Due to the winter vacations, a small number of undertrials were brought to the city courts from different prisons. However their cases could not be heard since the lawyers stayed away from the courts.

Meanwhile, the general body meeting of the Karachi Bar Association was held in Shuhada-i-Punjab hall of the city courts. The newly-elected president of the bar, Mohammad Ali Abbassi, chaired the meeting.

Lawyer leaders vowed to continue their ongoing struggle till the reinstatement of all deposed judges to their pre-Nov 3, 2007 positions. They also lauded the efforts of the previous body of the Karachi Bar Association for the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.

The oath-taking ceremony of the newly-elected office-bearers of the bar would be held soon. The deposed chief justice, Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, is likely to be invited as the chief guest on the occasion.

—Staff Reporter