Wednesday is protest day for Malakand lawyers

TIMERGARA, April 2: Legal fraternity of Malakand region on Saturday announced to observe every Wednesday as a protest day against the government's failure to make Darul Qaza functional and appoint its judges. The lawyers announced this during a joint meeting held at the Timergara bar with advocate Asghar Shah, chairman of the Lawyers' Action Committee, in the chair. Sources said that presidents and general secretaries of all district and sub-divisional bars in Malakand division, senior lawyers from Swat, Buner, Shangla, Upper Dir, Lower Dir and Malakand Agency attended the meeting. Later, leaders of the Lawyers' Action Committee told a press conference that the lawyers would boycott courts' proceedings on every Wednesday against the government failure to appoint judges in Darul Qaza. They said that they would extend boycott to two days a week if their demands were not meet within seven days. "Members of the action committee and two senior advocates from each bar in the region will meet Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on April 6 to apprise him of their grievances," they said and added that the chief justice had been contacted for a meeting. The lawyers' leaders said that the chief justice of Peshawar High Court had promised to nominate judges for Darul Qaza, but action was still awaited. They also demanded of the government to set up separate anti-terrorism courts in Buner and Lower Dir. Advocate Asghar Shah and other lawyers said on the occasion that the delay in setting up Darul Qaza was creating problems for people of the region. "Lawyers from the entire Malakand region are united and will not give up their struggle," they said.