LAHORE, May 9: All lawyer bodies on Wednesday announced that they would observe a day-long strike on Friday (tomorrow) to protest against what they termed state terrorism.

The bodies condemned the sealing of the office of Supreme Court Bar Association president Munir A Malik in Karachi and the alleged police attack on a lawyers’ rally in Sahiwal.

The general house of the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) also demanded of Punjab and Sindh governments to step down immediately for patronising state terrorism.

The bar also passed a resolution urging a judicial inquiry into the Sahiwal incident in which 50 lawyers were injured when the police allegedly baton-charged them and threw a petrol bomb on their peaceful torch-bearing procession. The bar also called for removal of Sahiwal DPO Javed Shah.

LHCBA president Ahsan Bhoon while addressing a press conference paid tribute to the Sahiwal legal fraternity adding that such incidents could not terrorise lawyers who would stick to their cause till the ouster of military rulers.

He said by according a historic welcome to the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), the city lawyers proved that they had devoted themselves to the national cause and resisted all temptations.

Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari said the state tyranny could not demoralise high-spirited lawyers as they were ready to sacrifice everything for their ultimate goal of reinstatement of the CJP and removal of dictatorship.

Sardar Latif Khan Khosa alleged that the MQM activists had attacked the office of Munir A Malik which would not be tolerated at any cost.

Secretary Sarfraz Cheema said the LHCBA office-bearers would visit Sahiwal to express solidarity with them.

He congratulated civil society organisations, traders, students, doctors, engineers and intellectual for according a warm welcome to the CJP.