PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council called off its strike on Thursday after negotiations between senior lawyers and Peshawar High Court judges over the issue of a local legal practitioner’s conviction for contempt of court.

Later, the relevant sessions judge suspended Fakharyab’s conviction and ordered his release on bail.

Earlier in the day, a high-level delegation of lawyers called on Chief Justice of the high court Mazhar Alam Miankhel and other judges of the court and expressed the desire to resolve the issue amicably.

The delegation comprised representatives of different bodies of the lawyers as well as senior advocates including Barrister Zahoorul Haq, Qazi Mohammad Anwar, Abdul Lateef Afridi and Ghulam Mohiuddin Malik.

Lawyers, PHC judges meet; local judge grants bail to Fakharyab in contempt case

On April 26, judicial magistrate Asif Khan had convicted a local lawyer, Fakharyab, and sentenced him to 10 days imprisonment along with Rs1,000 fine.

The said lawyer was accused of leveling allegations against a woman civil judge, Tehreema Sabahat, and misbehaving with her in the courtroom.

Following an inquiry the allegations were found to be incorrect and the case was assigned to the judicial magistrate for the trial of the lawyer under the Contempt of Court Ordinance.

Following his conviction, the bar council had announced the boycott of courts. On Wednesday, the council had announced that its strike would continue for indefinite period.

In light of the meeting between the PHC judges and lawyers, an appeal was filed before the district and sessions judge, Shahid Khan, on behalf of the convicted lawyer against the order of the judicial magistrate.

The district judge suspended his conviction and ordered to set him free on bail.

An official of the high court told Dawn that the meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere and the visiting lawyers assured the chief justice that they wanted to resolve the issue in a peaceful manner.

He said Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel made it clear to the senior lawyers that it was binding on all to maintain dignity of courts.

The official said the chief justice also asked the delegation that it was the responsibility of the bar council and other lawyers bodies to look into misconduct of their members.

He said the chief justice told the members of the bar that it would have been appropriate for the lawyers that they should have adopted legal course of action and filed an appeal against judgment of the magistrate instead of holding demonstrations.

The official said the lawyers stated that the bar and the bench were two inseparable entities and confrontation between the two was inappropriate and not good for the judicial system.

Earlier in the day, the lawyers boycotted different courts. However, several lawyers appeared before the high court in their respective cases.

While hearing one of the cases, the chief justice observed that the judiciary often supported the legal fraternity in their noble causes.

He asked senior lawyer Qazi Mohammad Anwar that the lawyers were protesting against a court’s judgment which was an inappropriate act on their part as they should have adopted legal course.

A day ago, the protesting lawyers had staged demonstrations outside the courtrooms of the chief justice and district judge and had also removed their name plaques.

As a goodwill gesture the high court had also not registered an FIR against the protesting lawyers.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2016