ISLAMABAD, July 10: The lawyers community observed a country-wide strike on Thursday to protest against the Supreme Court decision of sealing the bar offices, and the killing of over fifty people in Quetta.

The protest call was given on June 9 by the lawyers’ community, led by Hamid Khan of the Supreme Court Bar Association.

On Thursday, lawyers hoisted black flags on the bar premises, displayed banners inscribed with demands addressed to the members of the judiciary, asking them not to accept the “dubious” gift of a three-year extension in their service tenure, and held general house meetings. The bar association passed resolutions condemning the SC administration’s decision of sealing the SC bar offices.

A majority of the lawyers did not appear before the courts after 10.30am to condemn the killing of over fifty people in a terrorist strike in Quetta on July 4.

Mr Hamid Khan, the SCBA president, said the strike was successful, and he had received reports from all over the country that all the bar associations passed resolutions condemning the sealing of SCBA offices, and hoisted black flags. He said that in Peshawar, the lawyers observed a complete strike, and nobody appeared before the courts.

The SC administration did not allow any activity on the court premises in Islamabad on Thursday, and three lawyers, led by Chaudhry Ikram, hoisted a black flag at the outer gate of the SC building, and addressed a press conference there.

In the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court, the office-bearers disagreed on the mode of protest. Shah Khawar, secretary of Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench Bar Association (LHCRBBA), had displayed a black banner, but Tariq Mehmood, president of the association, asked the bar employees to remove the banner.

The banner was removed for some time, but the secretary not only displayed the banner again but also hoisted a black flag at the bar building. Both the office-bearers exchanged hot words.

Tariq Mehmood said that he observed strike on the call of the Lawyers’ Action Committee and did not appear before the courts after 10.30am. He said that he also persuaded other colleagues not to appear before the court.