GILGIT, June 4: Five lawyers were arrested for staging a sit-in in front of the city police station on Tuesday against what they called the issuance of contempt of court notices to them and cancellation of their practice licenses by the Northern Areas Bar Council.

At around noon, a heavy police contingent, headed by DSP Ali Sher, picked up advocates Asadullah Khan, Amjad Hussain, Manzoor Ahmed, Muhammad Farooq and Muzaffar-ud-Din, and registered an FIR against them.

Before arrest, the lawyers, who belong to the Northern Areas Young Lawyers’ Forum, took out a rally and blocked the traffic for almost one hour.

They carried banners and placards that were inscribed with slogans against the chairman of the Northern Areas Chief Court (NACC) for allegedly victimizing young lawyers on one pretext or the other.

Meanwhile, the activists of some political parties joined the protesting lawyers to show solidarity with them.

The lawyers alleged that the NACC chairman had victimized them by issuing to them contempt of the court notices and by cancelling their practice licenses, because they had opposed a two-year extension in his service.