Gilgit [PoGB] March 17 (ANI): Court proceedings across Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) were paralysed after lawyers launched a region-wide strike to protest the arrest of a senior legal practitioner and several activists under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act.
The Gilgit-Baltistan High Court Bar Association called the boycott following the detention of prominent advocate Ehsan Ali and other members of the GB Awami Action Committee. Lawyers in both higher and lower courts refused to attend hearings, leaving many litigants without representation and severely disrupting judicial work. The action reflected mounting anger in the legal community over the use of anti-terror charges against lawyers and political activists, media reports said (Dawn).
The strike forced postponement of scheduled hearings and created hardships for citizens seeking justice. In a statement after a meeting chaired by Bar Association President Zaffar Iqbal, the association condemned the arrests of Ehsan Ali and Muhammad Nafees as unjustified and criticised the manner in which authorities handled the detentions. The bar leadership pledged to stand behind its members and denounced what it described as unlawful detention of lawyers.
Ehsan Ali, who heads the GB Awami Action Committee, was arrested last week with other leaders. Officials alleged the activists delivered anti-state speeches at an Iftar gathering and planned a rally with anti-state messaging. Police said First Information Reports were lodged against at least 13 committee members, and an anti-terrorism court granted investigators physical remand of the accused until March 18 to allow further interrogation.
Lawyers for Ehsan Ali have filed a petition in the PoGB Anti-Terrorism Court seeking immediate medical treatment, saying Ali—over 70—suffers from a chest infection and had been receiving treatment before his arrest. The petition warns interruption of care endangers his health and urges the court to order his transfer to a hospital. The legal team said denial of proper medical access would provoke further protests from the PoGB legal community, according to Dawn (ANI).
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