KARACHI: The Karachi and Malir bar associations on Monday boycotted court proceedings on a countrywide protest call given by Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) against the Islamabad incident.

The Karachi Bar Association condemned attacks on the state buildings in Islamabad and violence against protesters, the media and police. The KBA said it appeared to be a conspiracy being hatched to push the country towards martial law and asked politicians to play their role to save the democratic system.

Legal proceedings remained suspended at the subordinate judiciary with hundreds of cases fixed at the city courts and district courts in Malir not being taken up.

Undertrial prisoners were not brought to the courts though police produced suspects in courts for remand and judges also heard some urgent matters in their chambers.

Legal work at the Sindh High Court and special courts including anti-terrorism courts, control of narcotic substance courts, accountability courts, anti-corruption courts and banking courts were also badly disturbed as most lawyers did not turn up.

Deploring the current political situation, the KBA asked the PBC, the SCBA and the bar associations to call a convention of the legal fraternity to finalise its future course of action.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2014