Over amendments in CPC: KP lawyers to boycott courts' proceedings from January 8

KP Bar Council has decided once again to boycott proceedings and take streets against recent amendments in the Code of Procedure (CPC) and narcotics law in the province. The decision was taken in a General body meeting of the KP Bar Council held here Saturday with Vice Chairman, Saeed Khan in the chair. A large number of lawyers attended the meeting.

The meeting discussed in detail the recent amendments in Code of Procedure and narcotics law and long deliberation decided to adopt the mean of agitation to resist the amendments.

The meeting decided that courts' boycott across the province from January 8, 2020 and staging of protest demos. On the same day the lawyers from all Peshawar High Court (PHC), principal bench affiliated districts including Peshawar, Kohat, Mardan, Swabi, Charsadda and Nowshera will reach Peshawar High Court to stage a protest public meeting on January 8 and also registered protest in front of the Provincial Assembly.

The Bar Council has warned the provincial government to withdraw amendments till January 8, 2020 otherwise, a representative meeting of the lawyers will be held at Peshawar High Court at 2:00 P.M to decide future line of action including staging protest demos and complete boycott of courts.

The meeting was told that in wake of the three-day consecutive boycott of courts on the basis of the decision taken in the meeting of December 7, 2019, the CM held a meeting with a representative delegation.

During that meeting, the government has assured that the concerned amendments would be suspended for a period of six months and new draft would be prepared in consultations with lawyers.

In wake of the said meeting, a meeting of the Bar Council held on December 14, the participants declared negotiations with the government as positive and deferred the agitation. But, neither the government honoured its commitment of the suspension of the amendments nor made any positive progress.

Therefore, a delegation of the lawyers once again held a detailed meeting with a representative official delegation of the Provincial Minister for Law, Secretary Law and Advocate General.

The official delegation expressed readiness that in next meeting, the representatives of the lawyers will present proposals and the amendments would be withdrawn. Therefore, another long meeting between the lawyers and government delegation was held on January 02, 2020 and despite submission of written proposals, the official committee shown non-seriousness and created hurdles. So both parties failed in reaching on any decision that shows the lack of interest on part of the government in the withdrawal of the amendments with consensus.

The general body of the KP Bar Council appreciated the verdict given the special tribunal in Pervez Musharraf case. The lawyers paid tributes to the chairman of the tribunal and termed it first-ever as per constitutional and legal decision in the history of Pakistan. However, they expressed deep concern over the highly irresponsible statements of the Federal Law Minister and Attorney General of Pakistan against the ruling and judiciary.

The bar council condemned unconstitutional and illegal press conferences of the law minister and attorney general and asked them to tender immediate apology over their unconstitutional and illegal statements. Otherwise, legal proceeding would be initiated against them.