Karachi Lawyers News

By   Jamal Khurshid Supreme Court senior judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa Saturday said fundamental rights of citizens could only be protected if judiciary remains independent and judicial system disassociates itself from the administration. Addressing the annual dinner of Karachi Bar Association at city courts, he said superior courts had also been entrusted responsibilities to protect fundamental rights of citizens. He said the preamble of Constitution of Pakistan clearly mentions that sovereignty over the entire universe belongs to Almighty Allah alone and the state shall exercise its powers and authority through the chosen representatives of people. He said judges should only be fearful of Almighty Allah, the Constitution and the law and nothing else. Justice Isa said judges and lawyers only strive for access to truth and if they achieve their task, they remain satisfied. He said “we as a nation can be a satisfied nation only when we adhere to the rule of law and Constitution and ensure

The Karachi Bar Association (KBA) on Thursday suspended the membership of the adviser to the Sindh chief minister on law and environment, Barrister Murtaza Wahab, for three months after its meeting was marred by unruly behaviour of pro-government lawyers. The KBA had organised a general body meeting in the City Courts to discuss the lack of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus from the lower courts in the city. However, a group of lawyers, allegedly belonging to the Peoples Lawyers Forum, the legal wing of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), turned up to end the meeting. KBA General Secretary GM Korai alleged that lawyers paid by the Sindh government attacked the meeting on the direction of Wahab. He commented that the PPP government had sent goons to stop the meeting and it was a situation worse than the era of former president General Pervez Musharraf. Korai said instead of resolving the issues raised by the KBA, the government was trying to silence them through violence. He a

  Three lawyers were killed when unidentified armed men opened fire on their car near then Aram Bagh area of Karachi. A fourth lawyers is in critical condition and is undergoing surgery at the Civil Hospital.  The police have described the act as target killing and say the attackers were riding motorcycles and chased the lawyers from the city court.  Lawyers have announced a nationwide strike in protest of the killings. According to the MLO of the civil hospital, all three of them were shot at point-blank range.  Eyewitness accounts state that the police failed to act and only opened aerial firing after the attack had already taken place.  The police were also late in cordoning off the crime scene.  Home Minister Sindh Mansoor Wasan has ordered the suspension of SHO Aram Bagh, while Interior Minister Rehman Malik has summoned a report from IG Sindh.  (The News)

By Asghar Azad KARACHI: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Saturday said that the judiciary was struggling to buttress democratic and parliamentary norms and always worked within its limits. Addressing the oath taking ceremony of the entrants of the Karachi Bar Association (KBA), he said that the judiciary had closed the door on martial law by voiding November 3, 2007 order. “In any democratic setup the judiciary has to act as an independent institution exercising jurisdictions within its constitutional domain,” he said, adding that the legislature and executive are also independent and they are also bound to exercise their authorities. “Judiciary is the custodian of constitution and has to check constitutional deviation and arbitrary uses of power by other institutions,” he said. “In the present democratic setup, judiciary is trying to buttress democratic and parliamentary norms and it has never tried to assume the role of the exe

The long-drawn issue regarding the functioning of NGOs’ offices at the court and jail premises has finally be resolved and subsequently the lawyers ended their weekly strike after the government-formed committee informed them that they had shifted their offices to Gulistan-e-Jauher area. The committee headed by Faroughe Naseem met the Karachi Bar Association’s office-bearers and formally announced that the NGOs have virtually stopped their legal aid operation at the jail premises and shifted their offices in Gulistan-e-Jauher. President KBA Mohammed Aqil and General Secretary Haider Imam Rizvi told the media on Friday that the NGOs offices in jails have formally been closed down.  The committee also told them the process of collecting data would be completed within days following which these offices would be handed over to the Sindh government. All the NGOs’ offices situated within the jail premises, including Special Prison for Women, Juvenile, Central Prison Karachi and Landhi

In the continuing acts of violence, 11 more people were killed including two advocates in the provincial metropolis in separate incidents and target killings here on Friday. According to details, two advocates were shot dead near FTC Bridge Sharah-i- Faisal Road within the limits of Brigade police station. The incident took place near FTC bridge where Advocate Muhammad Saleem Bhatti and Advocate Faheem Riaz were going on a car bearing registration No Z-9053, when unidentified armed men opened indiscriminate firing on them. As a result both received bullets on their faces and died on the spot. The car also knocked down a cyclist namely Nouman. After getting the information, heavy contingents of police rushed to the spot and shifted the bodies to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for autopsy. The doctors said they received bullets on their faces. SHO Akhtar Abbas said police recovered empty shells of 9 MM pistol from the spot. President of Karachi Bar Association Muham

The legal fraternity boycotted court proceedings on a second consecutive day on Wednesday against what they said was the illegal establishment of offices of NGOs in prisons. The Karachi Bar Association ahs threatened to boycott legal proceedings unless the offices of NGOs are removed from jail premises within one week. “The boycott is part of the protest lodged by the KBA on Tuesday and will continue till our demands our accepted”, KBA General Secretary confirmed this while talking to The News. Work at the city courts remained suspended and the lawyers did not attend proceedings. The judges remained in their chambers as even under-trial prisoners were also not brought in from the Central Prison. There was a complete shutdown and the offices of stamp vendors and oath-commissioners were also closed, while he court premises wore a deserted look. On Tuesday, the two offices of NGOs situated within the courts premises were removed by lawyers, which was also intimated to Distric

The premises of the city and Malir courts wore a deserted look and fear loomed large on Tuesday as recently, two advocates were gunned down, bringing the total to six this year. The Karachi Bar Association has given a call for complete strike and boycott of courts proceedings in protest against the killing of a lawyer who was also a senior worker of the Pakistan People’s Party. The lawyers are already in a state of protest since May due to killings of many lawyers in the current year and observing black days, boycott of courts proceedings, and strikes. Zia Alam, a senior lawyer and a PPP activist of district West, was shot dead in North Nazimabad Monday evening. The legal fraternity expressing their shock and anger, demanded of the government to pay Rs 3 million each to the deceaseds’ families and Rs1 million to the injured lawyers. The demand was made at a general body meeting held at Shuhada-e-Punjab Hall in connection with the killing of Zia Alam. Another general body meeting