LAHORE, July 10: Lawyers observed strike in Lahore on Thursday to protest against the closure of the Supreme Court Bar Association’s two offices and to condemn the killings in a Quetta imambargah.

The strike call was given by the Pakistan Bar Council.

The SCBA offices at Karachi and Lahore registry were closed down last month by the Supreme Court administration, accusing the Bar members of carrying out political activities at the offices.

Lawyers wore black badges and hoisted black flags atop the buildings of Bar associations. They appeared only in urgent cases till 10:30 am after which the courtrooms wore a deserted look.

A meeting of the office-bearers of various Bar associations was held at the Kiyani Hall of the Lahore High Court.

Speaking at the meeting, SCBA president Hamid Khan said that the closure of the Bar offices had proved that the government was afraid of the ongoing lawyers’ campaign against the LFO.

“The possession of the SCBA offices was taken over without giving a second thought to the repercussions of the action as it never happened during the reigns of the previous military dictators,” he said.

According to him, the SC administration lacked moral courage to face the anti-LFO struggle of lawyers as it had taken the action alleging that Bar members were misusing the offices.

Mr Khan said that the Bar offices were not the property of the SC administration. The premises were public property.

He said the total one-day consumption of electricity in a Bar office did not even constitute half of what was being consumed by a superior court judge in his chamber.

“A statement of allegations is being prepared against the judiciary which would be made public on the pattern of white paper. Earlier, we had questioned the public conduct of the judiciary and now we would unveil the stories of its corruption,” Mr Khan said, and added “the entire nation knows who was doing what.”

About the judgments delivered by the judiciary since October 1999, he said that the verdict in Zafar Ali Shah case would have been different in a ‘civilized’ society.

“If today Gen Musharraf declares himself the king of the country, the sitting courts would protect this announcement on the pretext that there is nothing in the 1973 Constitution barring him to become the king”.

He reiterated that a tribunal would soon be set up to prosecute the superior courts judges and others who supported Gen Pervez Musharraf’s actions. The closure of the SCBA offices would also be made part of the chargesheet to be presented before the tribunal.

He alleged that all supporters of the dictator were the violators of the Constitution and should be tried on high treason charges.

The SCBA president maintained that the lawyers would not get intimidated by the alleged dirty tactics of the establishment and the closure of the SCBA offices would not hamper the ongoing movement of lawyers against the LFO.

Lahore High Court Bar Association president Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari termed the strike successful. He suggested that the Bar should initiate a disciplinary action against the lawyers who did not observe strike.

He moved a resolution against the closure of the SCBA offices and the Quetta carnage. The resolution was accepted unanimously.

The closure of SCBA offices was termed as a direct attack on the independence of the Bar and a sheer violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

The SC administration was asked to review its decision and to hurl a positive gesture towards the Bar.

Condemning killings in Quetta, lawyers demanded that the prime minister should resign from his office since the incident had taken place in his home province.

Later, fateha was also offered for the victims of Quetta carnage.