PESHAWAR: The controversy between lawyers and civil servants over the arrest of a senior legal practitioner on the order of an additional assistant commissioner continued for the ninth day on Saturday with the legal fraternity announcing the continuation of their strike in Peshawar and nearby districts for an indefinite period until the acceptance of their demands.

The government servants, under the banner of Provincial Management Services (PMS), Pakistan Administrative Services (PAS) and All Employees Coordination Council, have already announced that they would continue with their symbolic strike throughout the province by wearing black armbands till June 14 without making any compromise on service delivery.

They declared that the protest would be taken to the next level if their demands were not fulfilled by June 14.

The lawyers observed strike at the Peshawar High Court principal seat at Peshawar and attached districts, with the demand that the concerned additional assistant commissioner (AAC) Aftab Ahmad and his two guards should be arrested and suspended by the government.

Legal community announces strike to continue for indefinite period

A joint meeting of PHC Bar association (PHCBA) and Peshawar District Bar association (PDBA) was held which was also attended by some members of Pakistan Bar Council and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council (KPBC).

The meeting unanimously decided that as per approval of the KPBC, the ongoing strike should continue within all the districts falling within the domain of Principal Seat of the PHC till further order.

It was decided that a joint general body meeting of PHCBA and PDBA will be again held on Jun 13.

The meeting also called upon the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) to declare strike throughout the country in the coming week.

It was further decided a high level meeting of members of PBC, KPBC, all elected presidents of district bar association in the province, all presidents of PHCBA of Peshawar and circuit benches, would be convened on May 14 here.

It was added that a provincial convention of lawyers would be shortly held and its date would be finalized in the Jun 14 meeting.

The meeting condemned the role played by the provincial government especially the cabinet as well as that of the chief secretary, with the demand from federal government to transfer the chief secretary immediately.

On the other hand, the protesting civil servants reiterated their demands.

Their charter of demands include the protection of civil servants in their offices; legislation for magisterial powers to the field officers; implementation of the Civil Administration Act 2020 in its letter and spirit; deputy commissioners to be declared as Justice of Peace under the Code of Criminal procedure; no FIR should be allowed to be lodged against a civil servant without approval of the chief secretary; and, setting up of special enforcement force for district administration.

Meanwhile, the KPBC suspended until further orders the practicing licence of lawyer Shaukat Ali Awan, who is stated to be the brother of that AAC, for using ‘derogatory’ remarks against the lawyers’ community on social media in the ongoing controversy.

KPBC vice-chairman Mohammad Ali Khan Jadoon and executive committee chairman Mohammad Ilyas Khan said in a press release that a show cause notice was issued to Shaukat Ali asking him to appear before the executive committee to explain his position, but he failed to do so due to which his license was suspended.

The controversy had begun after the registration of an FIR and arrest of lawyer Syed Ghufranullah Shah, who was accused by the AAC Aftab Ahmad of stopping him from performing his duty at a filling station on June 2.

In the FIR, the AAC insisted that he went to a filling station on the GT Road to look into the complaints about ‘hindrance to fuel supply to motorists’ and as he was busy with his official duty, Ghufranullah, who was also present there, began hurling threats at him and his police guards before attacking them and trying to snatch their weapons.

An FIR was also registered against the AAC and police constables Ilyas and Ahmad Shah on June 4 after a local court accepted a petition of the lawyer, who had charged them for torturing him and keeping him in illegal confinement.

Similarly, another FIR was registered against some lawyers on complaint of the district administration accusing the lawyers of attacking the office of the deputy commissioner during a demonstration on Jun 4.

Published in Dawn,June 12th, 2022