QUETTA, Pakistan, 22 October (H.S.): The legal community in Quetta launched a protest on Wednesday, boycotting court proceedings after police and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) raided the home of a lawyer and detained his brother. The Quetta Bar Association has warned the government of a wider movement if the man is not released immediately.
According to a report from The Balochistan Post, the raid targeted the residence of advocate Farhan Sasoli. Law enforcement personnel took his brother, Nouman, into custody.
In response, the Quetta Bar Association held a press conference at the bar room of the Quetta courthouse to condemn the action.Qari Rehmatullah, President of the Quetta Bar Association, described the raid as unconstitutional and the detention of Nouman as a case of outright abduction. He announced that lawyers have initiated a peaceful boycott of the courts, a measure that will continue until Nouman is released.
The Bar will not accept such incidents, Rehmatullah stated, confirming that a strategy is being developed to expand the court boycott across the entire province of Balochistan.It is our right, like every citizen, to protest, Rehmatullah added. We will raise our voice wherever human rights are violated.
The Counter Terrorism Department is an intelligence and anti-terrorism division operating as part of the provincial police services in Pakistan, tasked with conducting counter-terrorism operations.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
