HYDERABAD: Lawyers boycotted proceedings of the Sindh High Court and the lower judiciary in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Naushahro Feroze and some other districts on Wednesday in response to a call given by the Sindh Bar Council (SBC) to protest kidnapping of the son of the Hyderabad High Court Bar Association president Nisar Durrani, who is also a member of the SBC, on Tuesday night.

Mr Durrani’s young son, Zulfiqar, a class XI student, was kidnapped by three armed men when he, along with his friends, was going to an eatery in Defence Plaza in a car. The kidnappers stopped the car, asked the occupants as to who was Zulfiqar Durrani, and took out a photo for matching it with their victim and took him away at gunpoint.

Protesting lawyers held a general body meeting in the Hyderabad HCBA office to condemned the incident and demanded his immediate recovery. They also staged a demonstration, where HCBA general secretary Ayaz Tunio and Hyderabad District Bar Association president Wali Mohammad Janwari made speeches.Mr Durrani told the media on Wednesday that no call for ransom was received as yet.

MIRPURKHAS: Members of the Mirpurkhas District Bar Association boycotted court proceedings on Wednesday on the SBC call.

The hearing of a large number of cases was put off by various courts owing to the absence of lawyers.

At a protest demonstration organised by the Mirpurkhas DBA and the Young Lawyers Association, speakers demanded recovery of the kidnap victim and security for lawyers and their families.

NAUSHAHRO FEROZE: No proceeding were held in the Naushahro Feroze, Moro, Bhiria City and Kandiaro courts on Wednesday as lawyers stayed away from the hearings of the scheduled cases in protest against the lidnapping of Mr Durrani’s son.

The Naushahro Feroze District Bar Association held a protest meeting which was chaired by SBC member Abdul Salam Luhrani.

The meeting condemn the kidnapping and urged the authorities concerned to ensure release of the hostage as soon as possible.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2014