PESHAWAR: With the standoff over the arrest of a senior advocate entering sixth day, representatives of the protesting lawyers and civil servants on Wednesday held talks here and agreed to continue with the dialogue on the issue.

Leaders of civil servants claimed that the first round of their parleys was held with the office-bearers of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council and other lawyer bodies.

They added that both sides agreed to continue with negotiations for the amicable resolution of the issue in the ‘best public interest’.

The dialogue came during as the lawyers observed strike at the Peshawar High Court’s principal seat here and in courts of other districts and demanded the immediate suspension and arrest of Peshawar additional assistant commissioner Aftab Ahmad and his two police guards.

Agree to hold more talks amid strikes, protests against each other

They decided that the strike at the principal seat would continue until June 11 and that the decision about whether to extend it or not would be taken by a special committee.

Also in the day, a token protest by civil servants was observed in all government offices throughout the province with protesters wearing black armbands.

“As has earlier been intimated that the protest isn’t against a particular community rather it is for the physical and legal protection of the civil servants which we hope will be accepted by the incumbent government to ensure not only the writ of the state but also good governance and efficient public service delivery,” read a statement jointly issued by protesting government employees.

According to the statement, civil servants will continue with the protest by wearing black bands without compromising public service delivery.

Meanwhile, the All Pakistan Provincial Management Services Association issued a statement expressing surprise over the failure of the provincial government to ensure “legal-cum-administrative protection of civil servants by operationalising the Civil Administration Act, notifying deputy commissioners/assistant commissioners as justices of peace under the Code of Criminal Procedure, protection against FIRs, prior approval of the chief secretary before any adverse action, and establishment of district regulatory force at every district for regulatory duties.”

It added that the principal seat of the Peshawar DC’s offices was attacked and vandalised but no arrests had so far been made.

According to the statement, in case of non-protection for the future and letting go the incident, the writ of the state will be compromised causing further social disorder.

The controversy had begun after the registration of an FIR and arrest of lawyer Syed Ghufranullah Shah, who was accused by AAC Aftab Ahmad of stopping him from performing his duty at a filling station on June 2.

On Wednesday, an emergency meeting of the PHC Bar Association was held. The participants included members of the Pakistan Bar Council and KPBC, presidents of the district bar associations of Peshawar, Swabi, Kohat, Nowshera, Khyber, Charssada, Mohmand and Mardan, and office-bearers of different tehsil bar associations.

Through a resolution adopted unanimously, the participants demanded the immediate arrest and suspension of the AAC and his police guards and speedy judicial inquiry against them over the incident.

They decided that the All Pakistan Lawyers’ Convention would be held on the premises of the high court. The meeting flayed the provincial government for ‘protecting’ the AAC and his police guards.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2022