PESHAWAR, May 1: The NWFP Bar Council on Thursday directed all the bar associations in the province to observe ‘thanksgiving day’ if the negotiations between the two major parties were successful in Dubai, otherwise they should observe ‘black day’ on Friday.

The vice-chairman of the NWDP Bar Council, Qazi Muhammad Naeem, told Dawn that he had conveyed to the bar associations to observe black day and complete boycott of all the courts in case former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari could not reach an understanding in Dubai.

“All eyes are set on the ongoing talks between the two major political parties in Dubai and the nation has attached a lot of expectations from the two leaders,” Mr Naeem said, adding, “although the deadline of one-month given by the two leaders had expired, but we expect them to follow the Bhurban Declaration and reinstate the pre-Nov 3 judiciary.”

The vice chairman said that in case both the leaders reached an agreement, it would be a day of rejoicing for all of them and they would observe ‘thanksgiving day’.

He stated that as Thursday was a public holiday, therefore they could not hold any meeting of the bar council. He added that after Friday they would follow the line of action to be given by the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and president of Supreme Court Bar Association, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan.

Mr Naeem stated that Aitzaz Ahsan was their supreme leader and if he asked them they would take to roads and start agitation in case the government declined to restore the pre-Nov 3, 2007 judiciary.

The lawyers’ leader regretted that it was known to all that the judges were removed in unconstitutional manner but still the political parties had been dragging their feet over the issue. He added that the independence of the judiciary was directly related to the restoration of the judges who stood against a military ruler for the supremacy of law.

He also expressed concern over hike in petroleum prices stating that the price spiral had made the life of people miserable. He added that the increase in prices of petroleum products would adversely affect prices of daily use items.