PESHAWAR: Following a meeting between provincial minister for law and representatives of lawyers on Tuesday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council will decide on Wednesday (today) whether to call off its ongoing indefinite strike against recent amendments to Code of Civil Procedure (CCP) and narcotics law.

On the call of KP Bar Council, lawyers have been boycotting proceedings of courts across the province since January 8.

A joint meeting of KP Bar Council and representatives of bar associations in the province is scheduled for Wednesday wherein the participants would be informed about the meeting between Law Minister Sultan Mohammad Khan and delegation of lawyers.

The meeting would decide to continue the strike or not in the light of certain assurances given by the minister.

Several representatives of lawyers attended the meeting led by president of Peshawar High Court Bar Association Abdul Lateef Afridi. KP Advocate General Shumail Ahmad Butt was also present in the meeting.

KP Bar Council to make decision about ongoing strike today

It was decided that amendments to CCP would be discussed in detail.

The minister assured the lawyers that government would seriously consider the legitimate demands and concerns of lawyers regarding the amendments.

It was decided to constitute two committees of government members and lawyers to address their concerns regarding the amendments after mutual consensus.

An official handout states that the law minister said that no compromise would be made on reforms of different laws to provide cheap and prompt justice to people. He said that final decision on reforms would be made soon with mutual understanding and cooperation.

The government in October 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 also enacted KP Control of Narcotics Substance Act, 2019, through which Control of Narcotics Substance Act, 1997, was repealed within the province to the extent of cultivation, possession, selling, purchasing, delivery and transportation of narcotics.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 to CCP, one forum of appeal against a judgment of civil judge was abolished and instead of district judge appeal would be filed in the high court. It added that it was discrimination against the people of the province as compared to other provinces.

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

Meanwhile, a bench of PHC adjourned hearing of a petition filed by a lawyer, Farooq Afridi, against the amendments.

The bench of PHC Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Abdul Shakoor fixed February 2 for next hearing after AG Shumail Butt stated that government had been contemplating to make certain amendments in the law for addressing grievances of lawyers.

The bench observed that it would give time to the government in case it intended to amend the law so as to resolve the issue.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2020