Gilgit (PoGB), March 17 — Court activity across Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan came to a standstill after the region’s lawyers launched a strike to protest the arrest of a senior advocate and several activists under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act.
The Gilgit-Baltistan High Court Bar Association announced a boycott following the detention of prominent lawyer Ehsan Ali and other members of the GB Awami Action Committee. Attorneys in both higher and lower courts refused to attend hearings, leaving many cases postponed and litigants without representation.
In a meeting chaired by Bar Association President Zaffar Iqbal, the body condemned the arrests of Ehsan Ali and Muhammad Nafees as unjustified and criticised how authorities carried out the detentions. The association pledged to support its members and called the detentions unlawful, framing the strike as a response to growing concern in the legal community about the use of anti-terrorism charges against lawyers and political activists.
Court schedules were widely delayed, and citizens seeking judicial remedies faced immediate hardship as hearings were pushed back. The boycott reflected both legal and public unease over the allegations and the procedures followed in the arrests.
Authorities say Ehsan Ali, who leads the GB Awami Action Committee, and other leaders were detained after allegedly making anti-state remarks at an Iftar event and planning a rally with similar messaging. Police filed first information reports against at least 13 committee members, and an anti-terrorism court granted investigators physical remand of the accused through March 18 to allow further questioning.
Ali’s lawyers have filed a petition in the PoGB Anti-Terrorism Court seeking urgent medical care, saying the octogenarian—reported to be over 70—suffers from a chest infection and was receiving treatment before his arrest. The petition warns that interrupting his care risks serious harm and asks the court to order his transfer to a hospital.
The legal team also cautioned that denial of proper medical access would trigger additional protests by the PoGB legal community. The boycott and related actions underscore escalating tensions between the region’s lawyers and security authorities over the handling of politically sensitive cases.
