ISLAMABAD: A judge of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday rejected the Islamabad High Court Bar Association’s (IHCBA) request to observe a strike against registration of FIR against lawyers who had allegedly beaten up a police officer inside the court of a judicial magistrate.

IHC Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui turned down the request of a delegation of IHCBA to adjourn cases due to the strike.

The IHCBA representatives also asked the judge not to pass any adverse order against the lawyers who had boycotted court proceedings.

“Do you want to dictate me,” the judge asked. In response, IHCBA President Arif Chaudhry said: “It is our request”.

“I have heard your request, and you may please leave as I have to hear cases of litigants,” replied Justice Siddiqui.

A scuffle had broken out between lawyers and Islamabad police at F-8 district courts where lawyers thrashed a policeman who was testifying before the court of a judicial magistrate in reply to an application filed by lawyers in which they complained that the police had misbehaved with a lawyer and booked his motorbike.

Following the incident, Islamabad police registered an FIR against the lawyers who were involved. As a result, the high court and district court lawyers announced that they would go on a strike.

Justice Siddiqui, while refusing to call off court proceedings, told the lawyers that they could not dictate the court. Later, Justice Siddiqui wrote a letter to the IHC chief justice, describing the attitude of the lawyers as shameful.

Talking to Dawn, the IHCBA president said since the police had unnecessarily implicated a sitting joint secretary, Asif Ali Tamboli, in the FIR, therefore, the bar association had decided to boycott court proceedings.

He said he went to all the courts to convey IHCBA’s resolution to boycott proceedings of all the respected judges, adding that this unfortunate incident took place in one court only.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2017