QUETTA: The lawyers’ community and political parties on Thursday observed the third anniversary of the Quetta Civil Hospital carnage that left 60 senior lawyers and many other people dead in a suicide bombing.

Condolence references, prayer ceremonies, seminars and public meetings were held in Quetta and other towns of Balochistan where leaders of the lawyers’ community and political parties paid rich tribute to those who died in the suicide bombing and pledged to continue the struggle and mission of the martyred lawyers who wanted the supremacy of law and a fully independent judiciary in the country.

Present and former presidents of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Pakistan Bar Council, Balochistan Bar Association and other representatives of the lawyers’ organisations spoke at a condolence reference and a seminar held at the Balochistan High Court and district courts.

Senior Lawyer Hamid Khan paid tribute to martyrs of Aug 8 Quetta carnage and said that the loss of a generation of lawyers could never be forgotten.

He demanded full implementation of Justice Qazi Faez Essa Commission Report about the Quetta carnage to satisfy families of the victims.

Referring to the recent Indo-Pakistan tensions triggered by Indian move of scrapping the special status of occupied Kashmir, Mr Khan said that removal of Article 370 was a dangerous move. He expressed the hope that the Supreme Court of India would restore the previous position of occupied Kashmir.

The Vice Chairman of Pakistan Bar Council, Amjad Shah, said that lawyers had gathered here to convey their regards and respect to families of the martyred lawyers. He pledged that the lawyers of the province would continue their struggle for rule of law, respect for Constitution and independence of judiciary.

Balochistan President of Awami National Party Asghar Khan Achakzai while said that lawyers’ organisations must shun their differences and unite under one banner for independence of judiciary in the country.

Amanullah Kanrani, former Senator Kamran Murtaza, Advocate Ali Ahmed Kurd, President of Balochistan Bar Association Basit Shah, President of Quetta Bar Association Asif Reki, Bilal Anwar Kasi and several others lawyers and leaders also spoke on the occasion.

They condemned the government for not implementing the Qazi Faez Issa Commission Report about the Civil Hospital carnage and said that instead of implementing the report, the government had filed a reference against the senior judge of the Supreme Court.

They demanded withdrawal of references against Justice Qazi Faez Isa of the Supreme Court and Justice K.K. Agha of the Sindh High Court.

Earlier, a prayer ceremony was held in the district court. Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court Justice Syeda Tahira Safdar and other judges of the high court attended the ceremony and offered fateha for the victims of the Aug 8 suicide bombing.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2019