KARACHI – The lawyers’ fraternity of the city observed a black day on Saturday to condemn the attack on City Courts, Tahir Plaza and Malir Courts on April 9, 2008 in which lawyers’ offices were set on fire.
Ten people including two lawyers – Altaf Abbasi and Sheryar Sheri – and their clients were killed in the Tahir Plaza arson and attack and 14 more people died in the ensuing violence. On the call of the Karachi Bar Association (KBA), lawyers boycotted court proceedings wearing black armbands.
Prisoners were brought at the courts but were not produced before the trial courts. However, judges were present at their chambers. The KBA also held a general body meeting to praise the sacrifice of the lawyers killed in Tahir Plaza attack for the sake of an independent judiciary.
Addressing the participants of the meeting, the leaders of lawyers including KBA President Muhammad Aqil, Vice President Abdul Hameed and General Secretary Haider Imam Rizvi criticised the government and the law enforcement agencies for failing to arrest the people who carried out the attack.
They demanded that the authorities concerned should investigate the April 9 incident and those found responsible for the attack should be punished according to the law of the land. The said that through their struggle for the restoration of the deposed judges, lawyers have proved that they determined in their efforts to bring the country out of its prevailing crises.
“After the successful movement for the restoration of an independent judiciary, it is now the duty of the lawyers to start a new phase of movement to wipe out corruption from society and this can only happen when the bar and the bench coordinate and jointly work hard to provide speedy justice to people,” they said.
