Lawyers observe 'black day' to mourn Quetta Civil Hospital tragedy

QUETTA: The lawyers' community is observing 'black day' today to mourn the August 8, 2016 Civil Hospital suicide bombing, which killed 73 people including 56 lawyers and left scores injured.

Balochistan High Court Bar Association (BHCBA) on Monday also announced a three-day lawyers’ strike to mark the first anniversary of the tragedy.

BHCBA president Shah Mehmood Jatoi, speaking to Geo News, said lawyers began their province-wide strike on Monday and will boycott the court duties during the three-day strike.

Awami National Party has called for a strike in various cities including Chaman, Ziarat, Zhob, Pishin and Musakhel in memory of those who lost their lives in the deadly bombing and to express solidarity with the families of the victims of the Civil Hospital attack.

Shops and markets remained closed today while educational institutes also were closed in observance of the strike. 

Bar associations arranged for recitations of the Holy Quran for the victims of the bombing.

Last month, the Supreme Court, which took suo motu notice of the tragedy, questioned the Balochistan government over lack of progress in the Quetta bombing case.

The three-member bench, headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, also expressed anger over the lack of implementation of recommendations submitted by the apex court’s commission over the attack.

The Quetta attack raised several questions over governance, a notice sent by the registrar office read, adding that due to insufficient facilities at the hospital several lives which could have been saved were wasted.

"The serious injured were compelled to be shifted from Civil Hospital to the CMH and other hospitals outside the province. The post disaster scenario is not encouraging either. It appears that the incident has been forgotten and no headway has been made in either tracing the culprits or to mobilise state resources to prevent such occurrences in future," Justice Esa had stated.

Bilawal pays tribute to martyrs of Quetta tragedy

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari paid tribute to the martyrs of Quetta Civil Hospital suicide bombing, on the first anniversary of the tragedy on Tuesday.

Bilawal said terrorism was again rearing its ugly head in the country because of non-implementation of the National Action Plan.

He said the attack on lawyers was an attack on the country and its Constitution.