PESHAWAR, Feb 6: Differences seem to have developed in the legal fraternity here as a group of lawyers on Wednesday met Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Mohammad Raza Khan and expressed their willingness to end the boycott of superior courts if they were provided proper security.A general body meeting of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association asked the lawyers who are against continuing the boycott not to violate a unanimous decision of bar associations of the province.

PHCBA president Abdul Lateef Afridi said their decision of continuing the boycott till Feb 8 was still in effect and nobody would be permitted to violate it.

A meeting of the representatives of bar associations of the province is scheduled for Feb 8, which will decide whether to continue the boycott of superior courts or to follow a decision of the Pakistan Bar Council and boycott courts once a week.

It was learnt that a 12-member delegation of lawyers met the chief justice in the morning and said they wanted to appear in the court but due to fear of the protesting lawyers they could not do so. They requested the chief justice to make security arrangements for them.

A member of the delegation told Dawn that the chief justice had assured them of his support and said that proper security arrangements would be made for them. The chief justice, he added, had even offered them that they could use the judges’ entrance to the court premises in case they faced problems in coming through the front entrance.

However, he said, the lawyers said they would prefer the main entrance but they needed proper security.

The delegation comprised Jawed A. Khan, Arif Khan, Sadullah Jandoli, Hafiz Aman, Mir Adam Khan, Riaz Sherpao, Sakina Fida, Mian Fazal Wahab, Jan Mohammad, Sher Bahadur, Arbab Shabir and Qasim Khattak.

Since Nov 3 last year, lawyers in the NWFP have been boycotting superior courts. They opposed the PBC’s decision to observe complete boycott once a week and one-hour boycott on other working days.

It was learnt that two advocates, Rasheedul Haq, who is a former advocate- general, and Naveed Maqsood, said to have been an associate of Justice Jehanzeb Raheem before his elevation to the high court, appeared in different cases on Wednesday.

When the protesting lawyers, who have been demanding restoration of the pre-Nov 3 judiciary, came to know about it they held an emergency general body meeting which was addressed by Abdul Lateef Afridi.

He asked the members to stop with force those betraying them. “Break their legs if they try to enter the courtroom and appear in any case,” he asked the members.

Mr Afridi said the government had been trying to create rifts among the lawyers’ community. He added that on Monday last the provincial lawyers’ action committee had decided to continue the strike till Feb 8 and on that day a meeting of the representatives of all bar associations would be held. He said till that meeting they would not allow any of their members to violate the decision.

“We have no personal grudge against the PCO-judges and our movement is for the well-being of the people,” Mr Afridi said, adding they would not allow anyone to sabotage their movement.

He claimed that Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry was still the chief justice of Pakistan and their struggle would continue till restoration of deposed judges.