July 19, 2008	Saturday	Rajab 15, 1429

HYDERABAD, July 18: Hyderabad-based lawyers boycotted courts on Friday in protest against manhandling and detention of their colleagues by police in Karachi on Thursday.

The sudden decision to boycott courts took the majority of lawyers present in the civil court barroom by surprise as Friday is officially a half-day. An emergency general body meeting was held with lawyers wearing black armbands. Soon after they came out of the court and blocked the main Fatima Jinnah Road for about half an hour, suspending traffic. They raised slogans against the Sindh government and Karachi police for treating roughly, the protesting lawyers.

The Hyderabad District Bar Association (HDBA) demanded resignation of the Sindh government and the chief minister through a press release. It further said that the enraged protesters cursed the provincial administration and termed the violence an act of state-terrorism.

The general body was addressed by the HDBA General Secretary Nisar Durrani, Joint Secretary of the High Court Bar Association (HCBA) Hyderabad chapter Ayaz Tunio, Zahoor A. Baloch, Sultan Sheikh, Fazal Qadir Memon and others.

Condemning police behavior, they reminded that such repressive acts could not dampen emotions as their movement will continue come what may. “Our only demand is the restoration of pre-emergency judiciary,” they said. Police attitude betrays their will of employing third degree tactics against legal representatives and testing their nerves.

“Lawyers today are highly charged because of the yesterday’s incident and the successful boycott goes a long way in proving that violence against their fraternity will not be tolerated”, said Nisar Durrani.

Meanwhile a group of lawyers left for Lahore to attend a lawyers’ convention.

In Thatta, Dadu and other towns of Sindh also lawyers boycotted court proceedings.