HYDERABAD, Nov 8: Police raided district bar offices, pulled down black flags hoisted there as mark of protest against the imposition of emergency and picked up 13 lawyers and 17 activists of different political parties in pre-dawn raids on their residences as the legal fraternity’s boycott of courts across the province entered the fourth consecutive day on Thursday.

The Pakistan Bar Council extended its boycott for three days more after its first three-day protest ended the previous day. Personnel of paramilitary rangers and police were deployed around the courts’ buildings in all the districts of the province.

In Hyderabad, police picked up the presidents of Hyderabad District Bar Association and the High Court Bar Associations in pre-dawn raids in Qasimabad and Hussainabad. They arrested Abdul Aziz Sheikh, HDBA president, from his residence in Sharif Square and HCBA President Qazi Abdul Sattar, a heart patient, from his residence in Prince Town.

Police also arrested one Waseem Shah advocate from Wadhu Wah road when he going home.

In Nawabshah a heavy contingent of police raided bar room, removed black flag and arrested Faqir Mohammad Arain, senior advocate and president of PML-N Lawyers Forum and Hassan Tariq advocate as the DBA continued its boycott and staged a demonstration inside the court premises.

In Shikarpur, police arrested two lawyers Ahsan Ahmed Memon, Aftab Ahmed Abro and three political activists Mujeebur Rehman Qureshi (JSQM), Imran Ali Soomro (JSM) and Bilawal Mangi (JSM) and sent them to jail for three months under MPO.

In Mithi, police continued its crackdown against legal fraternity and arrested the taluka president of People’s Lawyers Forum Mohammad Maeen Bajir from his residence in Mithi.

In Mirpurkhas, five lawyers and leaders of JSQM who had been arrested over past couple of days were to prison under MPO. In Jacobabad, police arrested five lawyers and 14 activists belonging to Jamaat-i-Islami, Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party and Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz from different towns of Jacobabad and Kandhkot and sent them to jail under MPO.

Jail Superintendent Shahid Hussain Chhajro said that four lawyers Sardar Khan Lashari, Sharfuddin Soomro, Mohammad Azeem Soomro, Bilawal Buriro were from Jacobabad and one Bashir Ahmed Channo was from Kandhkot.

The arrested political activists included Umer Farooq (JI), Ramesh Lal (STP) Nourang Ali Golato, Allah Rakhio Sohryani (STP), Riaz Ahmed Bhutto (JSQM), Ghulam Hyder Bachkani (JSQM), Shahnawaz Marhat (JSQM) and five unidentified STP workers were from Jacobabad.

Lawyers in Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Pithoro, Samaro, Kunri, Kot Ghulam Mohammad, Digri, Sanghar, Khairpur, Thari Mirwah, Gambat, Pir Jo Goth, Naushahro Feroze, Moro, Kandiaro, Bhirya, Badin, Kandhkot, Sukkur and Larkana boycotted courts, wore black armband and held protest meetings within court premises.

They demanded restoration of democracy, condemned the imposition of emergency in the country and vowed to continue struggle till the withdrawal of emergency.