SIALKOT, April 7 Members of the Daska Tehsil Bar Association (TBA) on Wednesday observed strike against TMA officials for taking out a protest demonstration and alleged 'contemptuous' attitude towards a local additional district and sessions (AD&SJ) judge.

They boycotted courts to express solidarity with the judge as row between the bar and the TMA aggravated after the city police did not register a case against TMA officials on the orders of AD&SJ Khwaja Muhammad Ajmal on a petition filed by a lawyer on Tuesday.

In a TBA meeting with president Malik Jameel Akhtar in the chair, the lawyers passed a resolution against the TMA officials and condemned their attitude for launching a protest campaign against the judge. Saying that judges were free and independent, they also condemned the city police for adopting delaying tactics in registering the case against TMA officials.

Daska ASP Dr Saeed Ahmad told Dawn that the police had not yet received written orders for the registration of a case. He said the police would register the case soon after receiving court orders.

On Tuesday, the TBA had given the strike call against the sluggish attitude of TMA's labour union towards the local judiciary.

On Tuesday, AD&SJ Ajmal had ordered the city police to register a case against Tahir Nadeem Sindhu (TMO), Iqbal Mahaar (engineer) and Aftab Ahmad Bajwa (chief sanitary inspector) for illegally digging road in front of a filling station owned by local lawyer Amjad Cheema near Lorry Adda.

Advocate Cheema claimed that the TMA had started digging road without giving him a notice, and the digging had caused him a Rs200,000 loss.

Accepting the petition, the AD&SJ ordered registration of a case against respondent TMA officials.

To show solidarity with respondents, labour union of the TMA staged a rally against the local judiciary, alleging that the AD&SJ had announced the verdict without hearing the TMA's point of view.

The protesters, including sanitary workers and labourers, carried banners and placards and also chanted slogans against the judge.

The TBA president said no one would be allowed to harm the prestige of the judiciary. He said the lawyers were with the judiciary and decided to observe the strike to express solidarity with the local judges.

Meanwhile, the accused TMA officials said they had full regards for courts and the judiciary, but AD&SJ Ajmal had announced the verdict without hearing them.

Moreover, Usman Gul Nawaz, PML-N MPA Yahiya Gul Nawaz's younger brother, said the filling station was an encroachment near the bus stand and the TMA had every right to remove it. He said no one would be allowed to blackmail the TMA or its officials.

WALK Hundreds of people, including traders, lawyers, journalists, students, activists of NGOs and health department officials held an awareness walk organised jointly by the Anti-TB Association and a Daska-based NGO, Aman Foundation, to mark the World Health Day on Wednesday.

Aman Foundation president Dr Nasir Husain Alvi and general-secretary Dr. Muhammad Ameen Raza led the participants who began their journey from Fawara Chowk and marched on various city roads.

The participants pledged to raise awareness about health hazards in society.