QUETTA: Leaders of the legal community on Friday condemned the state’s failure to bring the perpetrators of the deadly 2016 Quetta attacks to justice, speaking at a solemn ceremony marking the ninth anniversary of the attack that killed 56 of their colleagues.
During a condolence reference at the Balochistan High Court, prominent lawyers expressed dismay that despite the passage of nine years, the individuals behind the carnage have not been held accountable in court.
They said that while some alleged perpetrators had been apprehended, they were never tried and were instead killed in what were described as so-called encounters.
Condemn state for not prosecuting 2016 Quetta attack perpetrators
“What kind of justice is this?” the lawyers asked during the ceremony.
Speakers at the reference, organised to pay tribute to the victims of the Aug 8, 2016, attack, argued that the lack of resolution in the massacre is part of a wider “system of impunity” that also enables the continued problem of enforced disappearances in the country.
Those who seek to spread chaos can only be defeated through unity, the speakers said, adding that the attack targeted them for their professional commitment to justice.
“We are Pakistanis, but our first tribe is the tribe of lawyers,” they added.
The lawyers also lamented that the official inquiry report into the massacre has never been made public.
If there is any power in this country capable of challenging tyranny, it is the lawyers, they asserted, urging the legal profession to recognise its own strength.
They also criticised the 26th Constitutional Amendment, calling it a disaster that had destroyed the country and undermined democratic governance.
We were born to face challenges, and the black coat is our symbol, the lawyers declared, vowing to continue their struggle for the supremacy of law and the constitution.
Prominent lawyers speaking at the reference included President Supreme Court Bar Association Mian Muhammad Rauf Atta Advocate, Senator Kamran Murtaza Advocate, Rahib Buledi Advocate, Mir Ataullah Langove Advocate, ex-president SCBA Ali Ahmad Kurd Advocate, Amanullah Kakar Advocate, Yasin Azad Advocate, Ayesha Malik Advocate and others.
They said the sacrifices of their fallen colleagues had united the legal community and would always be remembered.
Despite the devastating loss, speakers stressed that the attack failed to weaken their community.
At the time, we were 1,200 lawyers; today we are 4,000 and growing, they said.
We will fulfil the mission of our martyred colleagues, the lawyers added.
Separately, the Baz Muhammad Shuhada Founda-tion, named for Baz Muhammad Kakar, one of the lawyers killed in the attack, also held a ceremony to mark the anniversary.
Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2025