PESHAWAR: Lawyers on Tuesday boycotted all courts across the province to protest Monday’s Quetta suicide bombing and demanded that the federal government set up a judicial commission to probe the terrorist attack, which left many legal practitioners dead.

In different cities, including Peshawar, lawyers offered funeral prayers in absentia for the blast victims and prayed for them and early recovery of the injured.

A joint general body meeting of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association and Peshawar District Bar Association was held on the premises of the high court.

The participants condemned the bomb blast and demanded punishment for the perpetrators.

The meeting chaired by PHCBA president Muzamil Khan unanimously passed a resolution demanding the formation of a judicial commission to probe the Quetta bombing in three months, compensation under shuhada package for the deceased lawyers like bureaucrats, foolproof security for lawyers, and strict security checks on the premises of all courts across the country.

The meeting addressed by PHCBA vice president Yousaf Riaz Khalil, secretary general Yousaf Ali and leaders Abdul Lateef Afridi and Sattar Khan decided that on Sept 10, a convention of provincial level would be held in Peshawar to discuss problems and threats faced by legal fraternity and decide future course of action on them.

Call for judicial probe into Monday’s carnage

The participants called upon the government, chief justice of Pakistan and high court chief justices to fix quotas in job for the family members of the deceased lawyers.

They decided that mourning against the Quetta carnage would continue for a week and that black flags and banners would be displayed on the court premises.

The participants said the Independence Day would be observed with simplicity instead of traditional pomp and show.

They also decided that a joint delegation of PHCBA, PDBA and KP Bar Council representatives would visit Quetta to show solidarity with fallen comrades.

In other cities, too, the lawyers held meetings to condemn the Quetta attack.

The participants demanded the early arrest of attack masterminds and exemplary punishment for them.

In Batkhela, the Malakand District Bar Association and Malakand Press Club members staged a joint demonstration against the Quetta killings.

They also prayed for the deceased, especially lawyer and journalists.

President of the association Umar Zaman and press club president Rab Nawaz told participants that terrorists couldn’t subdue lawyers and journalists by carrying out ‘cowardly attacks’ against them.

They said lawyers and journalists would continue doing their duties with dedication and honesty.

In Charsadda, the district bar association offered funeral prayers for the Quetta blast victims in absentia and held a meeting to remember the legal practitioners, who died in the terrorist attack.

In Mansehra, journalists took to the streets here to protest the killing of media persons in Quetta suicide attack.

The procession was taken out from outside the press club building and ended at the same place after passing through different roads.

Speaking at the occasion, tehsil nazim Khurram Khan, Tehreek-i-Subah Hazara convener Mushtaq Khan, press club president Tahir Shahzad Tanoli and TV Journalists Association president Nisar Khan Swati condemned the killing of media person in the Quetta bomb blast.

In Karak, the district bar association boycotted courts to condemn the Quetta suicide blast and show solidarity with its victims and their families.

In Shangla, lawyers protested the bombing and said the National Action Plan against terrorism had not been effectively implemented in the country and therefore, incidents of terrorism continued to happen.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2016