City lawyers, on the strike call of Sindh Bar Council, stayed away from courts on Tuesday in protest against the murder, on Monday, of their colleague, Advocate Raja Riaz.Proceedings in routine matters and freshly fixed cases remained suspended, as the advocates did not respond to calls from court clerks.
Judges, after finding it futile to sit in the courts, also retired to their chambers after about 10 am. Because of the protest, a large number of prisoners, who had come to attend hearing in their cases, remained in 'prisoner carriers'. Those who were taken out of their vehicles were seen chatting with their relatives and friends. Many were seen locked in court lockups as well.
The lawyers also held a general meeting and demanded of the government to arrest the killer of Raja Riaz and take measures to ensure safety to the lives of the lawyers.
They said that growing lawlessness and heinous crimes were on the increase and there was nobody to impose discipline. They said that the writ of the government has become meaningless and criminals were free to act as they wished.
The imposition of Section 144 kept the lawyers inside the premises of district courts and Sindh High Court but a few of them could manage to come on the streets and raise slogans against the government. The protest call of All Pakistan Democratic Movement to condemn Nawaz Sharif's forcible expulsion from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia coincided with lawyers' protest call.