The lawyers’ community observed a ‘black day’ on Monday and boycotted proceedings in all five district courts in the metropolis to protest the killing of lawyer, Advocate Mukhtar Hussain Bukhari.
On a joint protest call given by the Sindh Bar Council (SBC), the Karachi Bar Association (KBA) and the Malir District Bar Association (MDBA), the lawyers completely boycotted the proceedings in city courts and Malir courts and did not appear before the trial courts.
Condemning the killing of their colleague, the lawyers demanded the immediate arrest of the killers.
Holding the government and the law enforcers responsible for a series of killings of lawyers, the lawyer leaders repeated their long-standing demand of formulating a judicial commission to deal with target killing cases in the metropolis.
The KBA held a general body meeting, presided over by its president Muhammad Aqil, at the Shuhda-e-Punjab Hall in the premises of the City Courts. The meeting was also addressed by KBA General Secretary Haider Imam Rizvi, SBC members Mehmoodul Hasan, Naeem Qureshi and Hanif Kashmiri among other prominent lawyer leaders.
Speaking at the meeting, the lawyers’ representatives strongly condemned the murder of their colleagues and innocent citizens target killing incidents and termed such incidents as the failure of the government and the law enforcement agencies.
Demanding the provision of compensation to the deceased victims of targeted killings, they said that since May 12, 2007 several innocent lawyers have been targeted but so far none of the attackers have been arrested. “Such lawlessness and negligence of the government and the law enforcers have proved that the laws of the jungle rule the country.”
Bukhari was gunned down by unidentified assailants near the Civil Hospital Karachi on July 24. Following the incident, lawyer representatives’ bodies announced launching a protest campaign by boycotting courts and observing a black day. They urged the governments to arrest the culprits involved in the killings of lawyers and other targeted killings.
