Lawyers observe weekly strike.

Demand reinstatement of Iftikhar Chaudhry

PESAHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) on Thursday observed strike, and they vowed to continue their struggle till the reinstatement of deposed justices.

A weekly meeting was held at the PHCBA with its president Abdul Latif Afridi in the chair.

PHCBA Vice President Fida Gul, General Secretary Essa Khan, District Bar Association (DBA) President Fazl Rehman, and a large number of lawyers were present.

The meeting expressed concern over the decision of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) in which the DBA president's license was suspended. The meeting unanimously passed a resolution, condemning the PBC's decision. The meeting formed a five-member committee comprising Bar Barrister Bacha Khan, Barrister Zahoor, Fida Gul, Abaidulllah, and Yasir Khattak.

The committee will file a writ petition in the Peshawar High Court against the decision.

The meeting also condemned through a resolution the suicide attack on Awani National Party Chief Asfandyar Wali Khan.

The meeting urged federal and provincial governments to identify the enemy of the country in in-camera parliamentary briefing.The meeting unanimously endorsed the decision of PBC to observe a black day on November 3, all over the country. In this regard, all district bar association's meeting will be convened on 25 October.

While giving previous PBC's meeting details, PHCBA President Abdul Latif said that the meeting had decided to convene a divisional level lawyer conference, in order to give a special certificate to those lawyers who were imprisoned and injured during the lawyers movement.

Deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will distribute certificate among the lawyers, he added. The PHCBA president urged the lawyer community to set side difference. Talking about troubled areas, he said that militants had deprived 0.1 million students of getting education due to destruction of boys and girls schools. "A large number schools, colleges and government buildings were destroyed as militants rocked the buildings," he added.

Call to repair schools in Swat, Bajaur: Former provincial minister Miraj Hamayun has strongly condemned bombardment of schools in Swat and demanded the government ensure security and protection to the educational institutions.

Addressing a press conference Thursday at press club, he said more than 100 schools had been destroyed in Swat. "A large number of students are deprived of acquiring education," he said, adding the government did nothing to provide any kind of protection to those schools.

He said the future of thousands of students was at stake due to military operation in Bajuar and Swat. "The government should provide alternate forums to the students for ensuring them provision of education," he added.He said he wanted to initiate a mobile school project but it could not be materialise without the government's support. He also demanded the government increase the education budget to reconstruct the destroyed school.

Rally against operation: Activists of Ehle-Sunnat-o-Jamaat Thursday took out a rally against the ongoing military operation in Swat, Bajuar and tribal areas.

The rally was led by Maulana Muhammad Ismail Darwish, Muhammad Tariq Qadeeri and Haji Syedur Rehman Safi. The participants were holding placards and banners inscribed with slogans against the federal and provincial governments and demanding a halt to the military operation.

Addressing the rally, Ismail said the government was following footsteps of Pervez Musharraf regime. "After the passage of six months, the government has failed to provide any kind of relief to the masses," he added.

Candidate says NA-41 polls were rigged: A candidate for NA-41, South Waziristan, Ajab Khan has alleged that winner Maulana Abdul Malik won the seat through rigging. Addressing a press conference Thursday at press club, he said Malik had rejected the masses' mandate and JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman helped him securing the seat through illegal and unconstitutional means as Malik could not become an MNA constitutionally.

link: http://thepost.com.pk/NatNewsT.aspx?dtlid=186694&catid=2