DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Lawyers boycotted court proceedings here on Tuesday against kidnapping of Qaizar Khan Miankhel, PPP divisional president and a senior lawyer.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council has also announced a province-wide strike today (Wednesday).

The lawyers belonging to Dera district and high court bars took out a protest rally, which after passing through various routes reached the residence of the abducted lawyer, where it turned into a demonstration.

The kidnapped PPP leader is also a presidential candidate in the forthcoming elections of district bar association, DI Khan.

The rally was led by advocates Malik Hidayatullah Malana, Sardar Hashmat Nawaz Sadozai, Rana Nadeem, Akhtar Saeed, Umair Habib Siyal and others.

During the protest, leaders of lawyers community expressed solidarity with the affected family and condemned the kidnapping incident.

Meanwhile, KP Bar Council’s vice chairman Ahmad Farooq Khattak and its executive committee chairman Akber Khan Kohistani expressed deep anguish over the kidnapping and non recovery of Qaizar Khan and his associates.

In a press release issued in Peshawar, they said that kidnapping of a senior lawyer and prominent political figure in daylight had placed a question mark on the performance of the law enforcement and security agencies.

They announced complete strike in the province by the legal fraternity today (Wednesday).

PHC Bar Association has also condemned the incident and called upon the government and the law enforcement agencies to ensure Qaizar Khan Miankhel’s recovery at the earliest.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2025