TAXILA: Lawyers in Attock on Monday boycotted courts to register their protest against the police failure to arrest the killers of their colleague near the tehsil court complex in Pindigheb town on July 27.

On the other hand, the district police officer removed the station house officer of Pindigheb Inspector Mazhar Hussain Shah and police chowki in-charge Sub-Inspector Sajid Habib to pacify the protesting lawyers.

Former general secretary Pindigheb Bar Association Atif Ali Qureshi was shot dead in a broad daylight when he was going back to his house after attending the court. Later, the angry lawyers held a protest sitin on Rawalpindi-Kohat road by placing the body at College Chowk.

On assurance from the district police officer that the culprits would be nabbed within 72 hours, the lawyers dispersed afterthree hourslongprotest. As the deadline expired on Sunday, the lawyers on Monday boycotted court proceedings.

The protest call was given by Vice Chairman Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Bashratullah Khan.

According to a pressrelease issued by the council, the office-bearers including Tahir Basheer, the chairman executive committee, members Malik Israr Ahmed, Mohammad Ishfaq, Raja Zafar Iqbal, Asif Mehmood, Farrukh Arif Bhatti, Asad Mehmood Abbassi and Toufeeg Asif announced that police authorities were given 72 hours to arrest the nominated suspect but the police failed to fulfil its commitment.

The office-bearers added that the slain lawyer had submitted an application with Pindigheb police about threats to his life and in this connection he had nominated the persons who were threatening him but police not only failed to protect the lawyer but also took no action against the persons nominated in the application.

The office-bearers while criticising the police said during last two months two lawyers were gunned down in the small town of Attock which showed police inefficiency.

Earlier, a target killer shot dead a senior female lawyer, Kubra Sheikh, in broad daylight in the same town on June 23. Correspondent