QUETTA: Lawyers and participants of a condolence reference, held in memory of martyrs of the August 8 Quetta attack, have demanded the government implement the Justice Qazi Faez Isa commission report on the civil hospital carnage that three years ago deprived Balochistan of 60 senior lawyers.

The condolence reference and a seminar was organised by Shaheed Baz Muhammad Kakar Foundation at Balochistan Boy Scouts auditorium on Wednesday to pay tribute to the martyred lawyers.

Senior lawyers of the country, including Supreme Court Bar Associa­tion (SCBA) President Amanullah Kanrani, SCBA ex-presidents Hamid Khan and Ali Ahmed Kurd, Pakistan Bar Council vice chairman Amjad Shah, provincial presidents Asghar Khan Achakzai, Muhammad Kakar and Dr Lal Muhammad Kakar spoke on the occasion.

The speakers expressed their serious concern over non-implementation of the Qazi Faez Isa commission report on the Quetta bombing and all promises made by the provincial government to the families of the slain lawyers.

SCBA President Amanullah Kanrani said that August 8 civil hospital carnage was against the sovereignty of the country and lawyers community. He warned that if conflicts continued, the situation would further worsen. He said that the carnage had deprived Balochistan of 60 senior lawyers, creating a gap that could not be filled up for a long time.

Balochistan Bar President Muhammad Asghar Achakzai, who lost his younger brother in the Quetta bombing, said that most of the victims of the tragedy were head of their families and after their deaths the families were facing great difficulties.

He said that if the government had implemented the national action plan, the situation would have been different. “The setback of the attack on lawyers will haunt us for a very long time,” Mr Achakzai said and questioned why the government had challenged the judicial commission report of the incident.

PBC vice chairman advocate Amjad Shah said that without justice the country could not be developed. Lawyers, he said, had been fighting for the rule of law and rendered sacrifices for this mission. He said that the mission of martyrs would continue.

Former SCBA president Ali Ahmed Kurd, while speaking on the occasion, said that there was no other option but ensuring the rule of law. “Martyred lawyers cannot be brought back but their mission will continue,” Mr Kurd said.

Secretary General of National Party Jan Buledi said that political parties must put differences aside and unite to fight against terrorism.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2019