Pak lawyers go on strike to protest killing of senior counsel

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Press Trust of India Lahore
Last Updated : May 08 2014 | 9:19 PM IST
Lawyers in Pakistan's Multan district today observed a strike to protest the killing of a senior colleague who was shot dead for defending a blasphemy accused.
Senior lawyer Rashid Rehman, a member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, was yesterday attacked along with two persons at the HRCP office here, 350 kilometres from Lahore, last night.
Rehman was in the office along with advocate Nadeem Parvaz, and assistant Afzal Hussain when the attackers shot at them. They were rushed to hospital where Rehman later died while the condition of the others is stated to be critical.
The senior human rights lawyer had last month informed the Multan District Bar Association, police and the district administration, that he had been warned by two lawyers and others not to appear in the blasphemy case.
Rehman, 50, was the son of late diplomat Ashfaque Ahmed Khan, and nephew of HRCP Secretary-General I A Rehman.
He was representing Junaid Hafeez, a lecturer of the Bahauddin Zakariya University who had been accused of committing blasphemy for passing objectionable remarks about the Prophet Muhammad.
The case had been registered after pressure from right-wing student groups.
Human rights groups have alleged that Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law is often misused to settle personal scores and grudges and to persecute minorities.
Rehman took up the case as other lawyers had refused to represent the blasphemy accused Hafeez.
During the first hearing last month, which took place inside a prison for security reasons, Rehman received threats from the team representing the complainants while he was arguing the case inside the courtroom.
"You will not be present at the next hearing as you will not be alive," the defence lawyers threatened him in the presence of the judge. But the judge remained silent and did not entertain Rehman's protests.
Bar Association official Sher Zaman Qureshi said the police did not provide security to Rehman despite the bar's request.
He said the bar would continue observing a 'token strike' till the arrest of Rehman's killers. The HRCP has also demanded the government arrest the killers without delay.
"Mr Rehman was associated with the HRCP for 20 years. It is surprising and agonising that the police did not act despite Mr Rehman's complaint about the persons including two lawyers who hurled death threats at him," the HRCP said in a statement.
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First Published: May 08 2014 | 9:19 PM IST