PESHAWAR: The lawyers boycotted courts across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the second consecutive day on Thursday as part of an indefinite strike against the recent amendments to the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, and enactment of a provincial anti-narcotics law by the government.

Lawyers mostly stayed away from proceedings before different court including Peshawar High Court in Peshawar and its benches in Abbottabad, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu and Swat. The lawyers had earlier observed strike on Wednesday on the same issue.

However, a joint meeting of the KP Bar Council and representatives of different bar associations decided to start an indefinite strike on Thursday.

The meeting announced that the strike would continue until either the controversial amendments were withdrawn or the government held a meaningful dialogue with lawyers on the issue.

The bar council has also warned all its members to abide by the decision of strike failing which strict action would be taken against them.

In Peshawar, representatives of the bar council as well as bar associations continued roaming around different courts in the Judicial Complex to check the violation of the strike call by any member. They also asked court officials whether any lawyer showed up.

The next joint meeting of KP Bar Council and representatives of bar associations will take place on Jan 15 to decide future course of action. Last month, the lawyers had observed a strike from Dec 9 to 11 on the issue.

The KP Government has in Oct enacted KP Code of Civil Procedure (Amendment) Act 2019 through which several important changes were made in the colonial era law claiming that it would help in providing speedy justice to litigants in civil nature cases.

Similarly, the government has also enacted KP Control of Narcotics Substance Act, 2019, through which the federal Control of Narcotics Substance Act, 1997, was repealed within the province to the extent of cultivation, possession, selling, purchasing, delivery and transportation of narcotics.

KP Bar Council claims that through amendments in CCP one forum of appeal against a judgment of civil judge was abolished and now instead of district judge appeal would be filed in the high court. It is added that it was discrimination with people of this province as compared to other provinces.

Similarly, after the introduction of the new narcotics law in the province, the bail provision was removed in narcotics related offences due to which an accused has to move the high court for bail instead of the special court.

A complete boycott of courts by lawyers was also reported in Abbottabad.

Abbottabad District Bar Association president Assad Khan Jadoon said poor complainants were stressed out as they’d been forced to go to the high court for relief in civil and narcotics cases instead of the sessions courts.

He said the changes to civil and narcotics laws would also overburden higher courts with work. The lawyers of Lower Dir and Buner districts also boycotted local courts.

Buner district bar association President Shabaros Khan said the boycott of courts would continue until the recent amendments to the civil and drug laws were withdrawn.

He claimed that the strike was observed to protect the rights of litigants.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2020