KARACHI: The Karachi Bar Association (KBA) on Monday gave the Sindh government a 15-day ultimatum to clear its position on a plan to allot around 6,000 acres in Hawkesbay to the Defence Housing Authority (DHA).

The association also condemned the violence at the Bannu rally and observed a full-day boycott of court proceedings in protest against the incident. During the strike, the City Courts complex gave a deserted look due to the absence of litigants.

In its general body meeting presided over by KBA president Amir Nawaz Warraich and conducted by general secretary Ikhtiar Ali Channa, the bar warned the Sindh government of a protest on Sharea Faisal near Nursery on Aug 3 if it failed to clear the air of allotment of the coastal land to DHA.

The association reiterated its demand for the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) to withdraw its letter dated July 12, which proposed the appointment of retired judges as ad hoc judges of the Supreme Court.

Boycotts proceedings at City Courts in protest over Bannu violence; demands immediate recovery of Priya Kumari

During the meeting, the association unanimously passed a resolution to condemn the “heinous act of firing on the peaceful protesters in Bannu (KP) which resulted in the tragic loss of several innocent lives”. The KBA also expressed solidarity with the families of the victims and injured persons.

The association also vehemently condemned the “cowardly attack by extremists” on the Pakistani Consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, in which the country’s flag was disrespected.

Condemning the attack on armed forces on July 15 in Bannu, the KBA urged the Afghan government to take appropriate action against the ‘culprits/terrorists’.

It expressed concern regarding the missing minor girl, Priya Kumari, who has yet to be recovered by law enforcement agencies after the registration of an FIR. “It has been adopted that the KBA stands in solidarity with the Hindu community in Pakistan and demands prompt action towards the recovery of Priya Kumari,” it said.

Mentioning the sit-in protest by the families of missing persons in Quetta, the KBA said: “The general body meeting condemned the brutal and ruthless attack on innocent Baloch families, including children, who were protesting for the missing persons/forced disappeared persons in Quetta city on July 15, and also condemned the two false/fabricated FIRs lodged against the protesters.”

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2024