LAHORE, Feb 8: Lawyers throughout the Punjab boycotted court proceedings in response to the call of the Pakistan Bar Council, the Punjab Bar Council, the Supreme Court Bar Association, the Lahore High Court Bar Association and various district bar associations.

Most of the cases fixed for Friday were adjourned by the courts, and only urgent matters like bail and habeas corpus petitions were taken up.

Office-bearers of the bar councils and associations described the response to their call as overwhelming.

Speaking at a press conference, Lahore High Court Bar Association president Mian Israrul Haq, secretary-general Rana Mashhood and finance secretary Irfan Akram said the boycott was not against the courts but nomination of army officers as judges of the courts.

Commenting on the statement of the federal law secretary that the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance had been promulgated in consultation with the judiciary, they said it was an attempt to bring a bad name to the judiciary.

They said as far as their information was concerned, there was no truth in the reports that the Lahore High Court chief justice had recommended the names of judges for anti-terrorism courts with army officers.

They criticized Punjab Law Minister Dr Khalid Ranjha for giving wrong figures about the disposal of cases. They urged the Punjab Bar Council to cancel the licence of the minister for tarnishing the image of the judiciary by playing down its performance.

They said the press conference had not been convened on the directions of the chief justice.