SHC and Karachi Bar end marches after govt pledges to protect hills from ‘commercial exploitation’
Lawyers took to the streets and raised their voices across the historic hills of Karoonjhar. Photo: Jalal Qureshi/Express
KARACHI:
Lawyers from Sindh High Court Bar Association, Karachi Bar Association and Sindh All Lawyers Action Committee staged a protest in front of the Chief Minister House against logging and mining of Karoonjhar hills. Large demonstrations were held and participants chanted slogans loudly demanding the protection of the historic hills.
The protests ended peacefully after successful negotiations between the bar associations and the Sindh government. The provincial ministers gave guarantees about the approval of the lawyers’ list of demands, which led the lawyers to disperse peacefully.
The protests began from the SHC and continued to the CM House, with significant participation from members of the legal community. Demonstrations were also held at PIDC Chowk.
A delegation led by Sindh High Court Bar Association President Barrister Sarfraz Metlo met Sindh Law Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar while the delegation of Karachi Bar Association President Aamir Nawaz Waraich held talks with Local Government Minister Naseer Hussain Shah. Both bar presidents submitted a letter of demands to the provincial ministers.
During the meetings, ministers acknowledged the legitimacy of the lawyers’ protest and emphasized shared concerns about the canal and water issues. They claimed that the decision regarding the canal projects had already been withdrawn on the instructions of the president. Assurances were given that the government supports the lawyers on the Karoonjhar Hills issue and would fully represent their stand in the assembly.
After the success of the negotiations, lawyer Sarfraz Metlo thanked the media and civil society for their support and confirmed that the letter of demands had been delivered to the Minister of Justice. The Minister of Justice reported that the mining contracts had been awarded by the incumbent government and assured that appeals would be withdrawn. The Karoonjhar hills would be declared a heritage site and a deadline of 15 days has been set to resolve all related issues.
Following the High Court Bar Association’s protest, the Karachi Bar Association also held a rally from the High Court to the CM House, during which police attempts to block the march led to minor clashes. Some lawyers climbed containers set up as barricades.
Aamir Nawaz Waraich said mining in Karoonjhar Hills is against the interests of Sindh and promised that protests would continue until the government officially withdraws the decision. After meeting Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, Waraich said the provincial government had assured that the appeal would be withdrawn and the Karoonjhar Hills would be preserved.
