PESHAWAR, Sept 13: The legal community observed a token strike on Thursday in protest against the alleged manhandling of a senior lawyer by personnel of an intelligence agency.

The NWFP Bar Council announced that a one-hour strike would be observed by lawyers across the province from 11am to 12 noon on Friday.

At a general body meeting the lawyers said they could not be cowed down by strong-arm tactics and their struggle against the military government would continue.

Advocate Ghulam Nabi of the Peshawar High Court was allegedly picked up by personnel of an intelligence agency on Wednesday night and released on Thursday morning after a severe thrashing.

Mr Nabi, associated with the Jamaat-i-Islami and one of the critics of the army and intelligence agencies, was reportedly intercepted by security personnel in three vehicles near the NWFP assembly when he was returning home from his chamber.

He was allegedly taken to a ‘safe house’ of the agency and beaten up.

The general body meeting was addressed by PHCBA president Lateef Afridi, Ghulam Nabi, Sattar Khan, Said Tahar Khan and Hidayatullah Afridi.