KARACHI, Nov 6: Lawyers on Thursday boycotted the legal proceedings at the City Courts and the Malir District Courts on a Pakistan Bar Council call for continued protest against the ousting of the apex and high courts judges by the then army chief Pervez Musharraf on Nov3, 2007.

Police had brought 152 undertrial prisoners from various jails for the hearing of their cases and lodged them in the City Courts lock-up but their cases could not proceed due to the strike although judges were present in their respective chambers.

Meanwhile, the Karachi Bar Association (KBA) held its general body meeting in the Shuhada-i-Punjab Hall of the City Courts. Representatives of the lawyers fraternity addressed the meeting and condemned the Nov 3 proclamation as unconstitutional.

They also criticised President Azif Ali Zardari for the promulgation of and ordinance to amend the Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Act, 1973. The lawyers were of the view that the Pakistan People’s Party had become a big hurdle in the way of their movement’s success.

“The party has not only failed to honour its commitment of restoring the pre-PCO judiciary, but is also threatening the lawyers with the amended bar council act to force them to give up their movement,” they said.

The Malir Bar Association also held its general body meeting in the bar office of the Malir District Courts. Speakers at the meeting expressed their full support to the Supreme Court Bar Association and the ongoing movement.

The general body was informed that the annual election for the MBA office-bearers would be held on Jan 17, 2009.