KARACHI: The legal fraternity has temporarily called off their strike for four days following assurance by the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah to get all targeted killings taking place in metropolis, including lawyers, investigated by a sitting judge, compensate family of each victim, provide extra security at courts and issue arms license to members of bar associations for 'self-defense'.
This announcement was made by a committee of lawyer leaders, who met the Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik, CM Syed Qaim Ali Shah, IG Police Sindh and others high ups at the Chief Minister House on Tuesday.
"Most of our seven-points put up in the meeting have been accepted in principle and government high- ups have sought four days time to decide the remaining.
In case the government does not accept them or any further incident of a lawyer's killing takes place, then we will again call strike and protest call," the SHCBA President Anwar Mansoor Khan told a press conference at SHCBA Office.
Anwar Mansoor said government had accepted the demanded to bring the culprits involved in all incidents of targeted killings and proposed names of police officers to be appointed as Investigation Officers. An investigation team under supervision of DIG Zone East, Karachi, has been formed comprising SSP Raja Umer Khatab, SSP Muhammad Farooq Awan to probe each case.
The chief minister had agreed on conducting judicial probe into all targeted killings through a sitting judge of the high court that should be mandated to make its findings public on its own.
CM would soon address a letter to the SHC Chief Justice for appointment of a judge to head the probe. He said the government had assured to take effective measures to control incidents of gruesome targeted killings, while the IG Police Sindh was given directives to make additional deployment of police contingent at the High Court, subordinate courts and offices of the bar associations to boost security.
The meeting had accepted the demand for issuing arms licenses to the lawyers for 'self-defense' for which requests would be forwarded to government through the president of concerned bar associations.
He said it was demands that compensation of Rs 5 million be given to the family of each victim and Rs.1million compensation for each injured person, adding the same was accepted in principal but authorities had sought time to determine the compensation amount.
Earlier, lawyers observed strike and boycotted legal proceedings at Sindh High Court, City Courts and Malir District Courts on third day against targeted killings of their colleagues in city.
A condolence reference was arranged by SHCBA on its office, which was attended by Chief Justice Mushir Alam and other sitting judges.
Copyright PPI (Pakistan Press International), 2011
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