The Express Tribune reports that Rawalpindi’s District Bar Association (DBA) announced today’s strike after Basharatullah Khan was kidnapped and beaten after being lured to meeting with unknown men who claimed to be seeking legal representation.

Lawyer protection

Mr Khan was then thrown out of car near the town of Rawat. DBA General Secretary Malik Zaheer Arshad confirmed that a complaint has been lodged at the Sihala Police Station.
The decision to strike was taken during a DBA Executive Committee chaired by DBA President Malik Israrul Haq and attended by the general secretary, vice president, joint secretary and a large number of lawyers.
Mr Arshad said that no lawyer would appear in court as a protest to the incident, and appealed to the government to ‘provide protection the legal fraternity’.