More than 9,000 Lawyers Boycott Pakistan Courts to Protest Senior Attorney's Murder
Thousands of lawyers boycotted court proceedings in Pakistan’s major cities today in protest of a senior attorney’s slaying outside his home in Lahore.
More than 9,000 attorneys complied with a call by the Supreme Court Bar Association and other lawyer groups to boycott courts throughout the country after the murder of Nasrullah Warraich, the News International reports.
The protest reflects concern not only over the killing of Warraich but of other professionals and an atmosphere of lawlessness, reports another News International article focused on the situation in Peshawar.
General Secretary Aminur Rehman Yousafzai of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association told the newspaper lawyers and doctors are being kidnapped and killed and those responsible are not being held accountable. “There is no security and protection to common man. People are being killed and kidnapped without any check,” he said.
In Peshawar, a young lawyer, Farhan Javed, was shot to death on Saturday, and justice is also being demanded on his behalf, the article explains.
Lawyers participating in today’s boycott wore black armbands, and black flags were flown at buildings and rooms used by lawyers, according to the Express Tribune and Pakistan Today.
Bar leaders throughout the country called for Pakistan authorities to find those responsible for Monday’s shooting death of Warraich and bring them to justice. In Lahore, the Lahore High Court Bar Association convened a general house meeting tomorrow and is expected to pass a resolution concerning the senior lawyer’s slaying, the Daily Times reported. A rally may also be approved.
Warraich was a former chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council executive committee. The motive for his slaying is unknown, and it is not clear whether authorities have made any progress toward identifying those who killed him.
MSN India says Warraich came to meet the suspects at the entrance to his home after he was told by a servant that one had papers for him to sign.
