האגודה הישראלית לחקר יחסי עבודה

PBC vice chairman Farogh Naseem and executive committee chairman Abdul Fayyaz condemned the targeted killing of Balochistan Bar Association (BBA) president Bilal Anwar Kasi and the subsequent suicide attack on Quetta’s Civil Hospital, which claimed the lives of at least 70 people.

Most of those killed were advocates, including former BBA president Baz Mohammad Kakar, while several others were seriously injured.

Both associations have appealed to the lawyers community to observe a country-wide strike on Tuesday (today) as a mark of respect to the fallen and injured lawyers. The PBC has also announced a week’s mourning, during which time lawyers will hold protest meetings in their bar rooms and wear black armbands to condemn the incident.

Chief justices, judges, PBC and bar associations condemn ‘attack on judicial system’

Farogh Naseem has also requested Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali not to hold proceedings in the Supreme Court for three days.

Deploring the ‘utter failure’ of the federal and provincial governments in maintaining law and order in Balochistan, the PBC has demanded immediate arrest of those responsible for the heinous attack and that they be brought to justice as soon as possible.

The council also called upon the heads of the government as well as security and law enforcement agencies to take appropriate steps to protect the life and liberty of all citizens, particularly lawyers.

It urged the federal and the provincial governments to provide compensation to the families of the deceased; Rs7 million for each lawyer who was killed and Rs3.5m for each injured.

Expressing solidarity with the families of the victims, SCBA leader Syed Ali Zafar said this was the first time in the history of the Supreme Court that a strike had been called, adding that it was an attack on the country’s justicial system.

In a statement, he said that all SCBA members had been directed not to appear in court. He also called upon lawyers to gather and protest outside parliament. He demanded that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and the four provincial police chiefs hold meetings with the legal community and discuss a strategy for the implementation of foolproof security measures in courts across the country.

The SCBA will offer in absentia funeral prayers for their fallen comrades in the Supreme Court at 11:30am on Tuesday.

Chief Justice Jamali condemned the killing of Bilal Anwar Kasi and offered his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, praying for speedy recovery of the injured.

The chief justice expressed the hope that the federal and provincial governments would leave no stone unturned to ensure that justice is served in this case and stressed the need for effective measures to improve the law and order situation in Balochistan, as well as in the rest of the country.

The chief justice and judges of the Lahore High Court also offered their heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the bereaved families and the people of Balochistan, praying for speedy recovery of the wounded.

LHC Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah called Balochistan High Court Bar Association president Khan Abdul Ghani Khan, expressing his grief and solidarity with the lawyers of the province, according to a statement.

Lawyers boycotted court proceedings in Karachi and will continue to stay away from legal work on Tuesday in protest. Karachi Bar Association (KBA) chief Mahmoodul Hasan condemned the heinous attack and said that a number of senior lawyers who had been active during the lawyers’ movement were also among the victims.

The Malir Bar Association also staged at sit-in on the National Highway to condemn the bombing. Its president Ijaz Bangash said that lawyers would also stay away from courts for the next two days.

In separate statements, Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi, IHC Bar Association president Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri and Islamabad District Bar Association president Syed Mohammad Tayyab offered condolences to the families of the victims.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2016