Lawyers keep up protests against emergency
Bureau Report

KARACHI—Lawyers fraternity announcing additional three days of boycott of courts demanded of the international community to pressurize President Musharraf into lifting of emergency while the boycott of courts by the lawyers fraternity against the imposition of emergency in the country continued for third consecutive day in Karachi.
To this effect, general body session of the lawyers was held in Sindh High Court on Wednesday in which it was decided that the lawyers would continue to boycott courts for three more days after which a new strategy would be formulated.
Former President High Court Bar Akhtar Hussain said that lawyers would continue their boycott and the general body has demanded that the imposition of emergency should be lifted and the situation before November 2 should be restored.
The general body also demanded that the government should withdraw arrest orders of lawyers and civil society members. He also told that in the last five days more than 70 lawyers have bee arrested through out the province.
Meanwhile the lawyers fraternity by protesting strongly against the imposition of the emergency on Wednesday boycotted the proceedings of the courts and hearings of the cases in the Sindh High Court, City Court and Malir Courts were not held causing delay in thousand of pending cases.
The judicial staff and judges came to Sindh High Court, City Court and other courts but the lawyers did not appear in the courts. A huge contingent of police and rangers were deployed outside of the buildings of Sindh High Court and City Court from the morning. The main entrance gates of SHC were closed and only staff of SHC and the lawyers of Singh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) were allowed to enter into the SHC Building while reporters and cameramen of Print and Electronic media were not allowed.
The police and officials of the Law Enforcement Agencies in plain clothes remained busy in search of lawyers participating actively in anti Government movement. According to reports, hundreds of lawyers in accordance with their strategy left their houses and are hiding on unknown places.
According to the sources, the staff of the police and Law Enforcement Agencies raided on the houses of wanted lawyers, however according to the information received from City Court or High Court, no arrest has been made so far. The General Body meetings of SHCBA and City Court Bar Association were held in which it was decided to boycott the proceeding of the courts today (Thursday) according to the decision of Pakistan Bar Council and strategy regarding the protest demonstration would be finalized.
The General Body meetings have demanded the lifting of the emergency and restoration of the constitution. The leaders of the lawyers’ fraternity said that their struggle would continue until the restoration of the democracy in the country.
The meeting through a resolution also condemned the arrests of the lawyers and journalists and restrictions on the media.
Lawyers and workers of PML-N staged protest demonstration on Wednesday against the imposition of emergency and blocked the GT road.
According to details, hundreds of thousands of lawyers and PML-N workers turned out on the roads and staged a protest demonstration against the impending extra constitutional steps of the Musharraf regime. Police used baton charges to disperse the protesters.
The protesters were chanting anti government slogans. They burnt tires on GT road and blocked it for all sort of traffic. High ups of police reached on the spot to control the situation.