KARACHI, Dec 31 The legal fraternity on Monday observed a complete boycott of proceedings of city and Malir district courts to register their protest against the assassination of PPP chairperson and former primer minister Ms Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi on Dec 27.

Quiet a few under-trial prisoners were brought to the courts for hearing of their cases from different prisons but no proceedings could be held due to the lawyers' boycott. The judges, however, remained present in their chambers.

Most stamp vendors, shops and food outlets within and around the City Courts premises stayed closed for the fourth consecutive day on Monday.

The Karachi Bar Association (KBA) held a condolence meeting to pay homage to the former prime minister and condemn her assassination.

Speaking at the meeting, newly-elected KBA president Mahmood-ul-Hassan strongly condemn the cowardly act and accused the government of being behind her assassination. “It seems to be a message to pro-democracy parties asking them to follow the politic of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervez Elahi if they want to stay in politics,” he said.

He said the government had never tolerated an independence judiciary, observing that nobody had faith in the present judiciary. This appeared to be the reason that the slain leader's spouse, Asif Ali Zardari, had demanded an investigation into her assassination by foreign experts, he added.

He urged all opposition political forces to launch a joint movement against Gen Pervez Musharraf with determination to bring an end to the military's role in politic. “An independent judiciary and an elected government cannot function until Gen Musharraf is there,” he declared.

The outgoing KBA president, Iftikhar Javaid Qazi, also accused the government of being behind Ms Bhutto's elimination, saying that Gen Musharraf and his fellows in power over years did not want democracy to return to the country. “The government has been implementing the agenda of foreign powers,” he deplored, adding that the pro-government elements were involved in the looting and destruction that followed Ms Bhutto's assassination.

He paid tribute to the services of the slain leader to the country and the nation, saying that the generations to come would always remember her as an icon of democracy who laid down her life for the restoration of democracy in the country.

Shahadat Awan said that the killing of PPP chairperson was an attempt to derail the process of democracy. He expressed the determination to carry forward the mission Ms Bhutto. “We will not let the anti-state elements to succeed in the nefarious designs,” he added.

Sathi Ishaq, Aqil Lodhi and other leaders held Gen Musharraf responsible for Ms Bhutto's assassination, and said he must step down immediately.

Later, lawyers offered Benazir Bhutto's Ghaibana Namaz-i-Janaza on Raja Riaz Shaheed Road and raised anti-government slogans.

At the Malir District Courts, no lawyer appeared in any court in line with the legal fraternity's call for a boycott of courts proceedings on Monday against the PPP leader's assassination.

Court proceedings have remained suspended since Wednesday when lawyers observed a boycott in protest against the manhandling of Chaudhry Aitzaz Ashan by the police and continued detention of the lawyer and several judges.