PESHAWAR: Lawyers observed a province-wide strike on Thursday against the assassination attempt on their senior colleague Razaullah Khan, which left him critically injured a day earlier.

The strike call was given by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council (KPBC).

The bar council also announced to observe strike on Friday (today) at the principal seat of Peshawar High Court and subordinate courts in the attached districts, including Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Khyber, Mohmand, Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai.

The lawyers on Thursday mostly stayed away from proceedings before different courts, including the Peshawar High Court and its circuit benches.

In a press release here, KPBC vice-chairman Mohammad Ali Khan Jadoon and its executive committee chairman Mohammad Ilyas Khan condemned the occurrence and demanded that the attackers should be arrested at the earliest. They also demanded the government to enact the proposed Lawyers Protection Act and provide safety to the lawyers.

Meanwhile, the Peshawar High Court Bar Association condemned the incident and called upon the police to apprehend the culprits.

In a press release issued by PHCBA secretary general Mohammad Farooq Afridi, the association stated that the attack on Razaullah Khan inside his chamber had left a question mark on the performance of security agencies and police.

It was demanded that the life and property of the lawyers should be protected on priority and provision of security personnel/policemen should be ensured to those facing potential threats.

Razaullah Khan, who is KPBC member and former president of Peshawar Bar Association, received multiple firearm injuries and was rushed to Lady Reading Hospital, where he has been undergoing treatment. In his initial statement to police, he had charged his nephew for the attack.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2022