Lawyers to boycott courts in Pakistan on Monday

ISLAMABAD: Defence lawyers of suspended Supreme Court chief justice Iftikar M Chaudhary on Sunday called for a nationwide boycott of courts on Monday to protest against the obstruction to Chaudhary from addressing a lawyers' convention in Karachi on Saturday.

"Lawyers will observe complete boycott of courts in Pakistan tomorrow," Chaudhry's lawyers Aitejaz Ahsan and Munir A Malik said in a press conference here.

Lawyers in Islamabad and other major cities would also stage demonstrations, Malik, also the head of the Supreme Court Bar Council said.

Malik alleged that police tried to kidnap Chaudhry when he arrived in Karachi airport yesterday to address lawyers in order take him alone by helicopter but the lawyers around him thwarted the bid.

"Karachi was turned into Beirut," he said and accused the MQM of creating anarchy in Karachi at the behest of the government.

Chaudhry would appear before the 14 judge full bench of the apex court here which resumes hearing of his petition challenging the reference of allegations made against him by President Pervez Musharraf, he said.

At least 39 people have died so far and more than 150 injured since Saturday in Karachi in clashes between supporters of the government and those of suspended Chief Justice Chaudhry.