PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council has criticised the recent judgement of Peshawar High Court of declaring strikes by lawyers unconstitutional and decided to challenge it in Supreme Court.

A meeting of KP Bar Council, chaired by its vice chairman Ahmad Farooq Khattak, termed the said judgement an attack on the integrity of lawyers, bar associations and bar council.

The meeting unanimously passed a resolution, condemning the said verdict and announcing to challenge it in the apex court.

A bench of the high court has recently declared lawyers’ strike calls illegal and unconstitutional and has directed all the courts across the province to proceed with cases without adjournment on account of strike.

The bench in its detailed judgement has ruled: “Consequently, all courts across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa shall refrain from adjourning cases merely because lawyers are on strike and shall proceed with judicial business uninterrupted.”

The bar council meeting also approved amendments in Lawyers Benevolent Fund Rules and decided to pay Rs1 million instead of the existing Rs7,00,000 to legal heirs of a deceased lawyer and in case of health issues to pay Rs100,000 to a lawyer instead of the existing Rs70,000.

Similarly, it decided that on retirement of a layer he or she should be given Rs500,000 instead of the present Rs350,000. The meeting also approved Rs28.5 million for releasing to legal heirs of deceased lawyers and to those lawyers, who had either retired or were having health issues.

The required amounts would be released to the concerned persons next week through cheques.

According to a press release, the participants of the meeting lauded the services of Mr Khattak during the five-year term of the present council.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2025