KARACHI: The legal proceedings remained suspended on Wednesday as lawyers observed a boycott demanding resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The countrywide strike call was given by the Pakistan Bar Council to mount pressure on the prime minister to step down in the light of the findings of the joint investigation team in the Panama Papers case. The lawyers also demanded resignations from Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

The courts wore a deserted look and hundreds of cases fixed for the day at the City Courts and district courts in Malir could not be taken up for hearing because the jail authorities did not send the undertrial prisoners to courts.

The Sindh High Court chief justice also discharged the board (list of cases fixed for Wednesday) on the request of lawyers and the judges heard urgent matters in their chambers.

Legal work at the special courts, including those of antiterrorism, accountability and anti-corruption, was also affected since lawyers did not turn up in most of the cases.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2017