MARDAN, Nov 4: The provincial vice-president of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Mr Abdus Subhan Khan, and vice-president of the Mardan District Bar Association, Bacha Rehman Khan, were arrested here on Sunday.

Lawyers took out a procession in protest against the imposition of emergency in the country and gathered at the Pakistan Chowk.

They raised slogans against the government.

Earlier, they held a meeting which was attended by local leaders of the ANP, PMAP, PPP, JUI F, JI, Tehrik-i-Insaaf, Tehrik Islami and PML (N).

They decided to boycott court proceedings in accordance with decisions of senior lawyers of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association and the Supreme Court Bar Association.

They said that the lawyers’ community would not accept any extra-constitutional step taken by General Musharraf.

They condemned the arrest of the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Mr Aitzaz Ahsan, and the house arrest of former Chief Justice of Supreme Court Iftikhar Choudhry.

They said that the emergency rule would plunge country into darkness and jeopardise its integrity.

They said that the lawyers’ struggle for the independence of judiciary would continue at any cost.

They called upon the traders’ community to cooperate with lawyers against a ‘fascist general’.