KARACHI, April 10: The Sindh High Court Bar Association on Thursday said that all acts of violence and terrorism that took place on Wednesday were “undoubtedly a repetition and link of the chain of the events a political group had committed on May 12 for the attainment of their evil designs”, and announced mourning for three days to express solidarity with the lawyers killed or injured in Wednesday’s violence.

The SHCBA condemned the violent acts against members of the Karachi Bar Association and demanded that people who were in league with the culprits involved in the tragic incident should be arrested immediately, and exemplary punishment be given to all of them without exception.

Speaking at a press conference, SHCBA president Rasheed A. Razvi and KBA chief Mahmoodul Hasan with members of the Sindh Bar Council requested the Pakistan Bar Council to announce three-day mourning across the country.

They rejected media reports that Wednesday’s incident was a tussle between two rival groups of lawyers, and said the legal fraternity had always believed in a peaceful resolution of their demands and some political elements were trying to sabotage the lawyers’ ongoing movement.

They said the provincial government had confirmed that some culprits involved in the incident were arrested, and demanded that the government expose those elements and take stern action against them.

They vowed to continue the ongoing struggle for the restoration of the pre-PCO judiciary.

Responding to a question, the SHCBA chief said that they would not demand a judicial inquiry into the incident from the PCO judges.

However, he said they would ask for a judicial probe once the deposed judges were reinstated.

Earlier, the Sindh High Court Bar Association at its general-body meeting unanimously passed a resolution which said: “The bar strongly condemns the most brutal and violent acts of hooliganism by the armed group of a political party on the peaceful lawyers of the Karachi Bar Association. It was a pre-planned and calculated attack on the lawyers by rogue elements for the accomplishment of their evil designs to terrorise and pressurise the legal fraternity into giving up their struggle. For the same reasons, the Malir Bar Association and the lawyers’ chambers were attacked, ransacked and burnt.”

It condoled the killing of lawyers and others, including Altaf Abbasi and Shehryar, and condemned the incidents of looting and setting on fire of Tahir Plaza, Malir bar, Jehangi Kothari Building and Taj Paper Market.

“The political group that had committed acts of terrorism on May 12 was involved in Wednesday’s incident, which was also engineered by their leaders who lost no time in appearing on the media and shedding crocodile tears,” the resolution added.

The lawyers extended their condolences to the bereaved families and offered fateha for the departed souls.

The SHCBA urged the Pakistan Bar Council to postpone the All Pakistan Lawyers’ Convention, set to be held on April 12, and re-schedule it for April 26 as the lawyers community was in a state in mourning over the tragic incident.

Meanwhile, the SHCBA president with other lawyers requested Sindh High Court Chief Justice Mohammad Afzal Soomro to suspend legal proceedings since the legal fraternity was in a state of immense shock. The request was, however, not accepted.

Legal proceedings remained suspended at the City Courts and the District Court of Malir as most of the courts remained closed in the wake of Wednesday’s incidents. Only a dozen of lawyers were present at the Karachi Bar Association. The Malir Bar Association at a general-body meeting condemned the violence against lawyers and demanded immediate action against the elements involved in the incident.

Later, the lawyers staged a rally outside the Malir Courts to protest against the violence against the legal fraternity.

Legal proceedings will remain suspended during the three-day mourning.