Strike by public prosecutors enters second day

PESHAWAR: The strike by public prosecutors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday entered its second day and this has disrupted court proceedings across the province.

The protest delayed case investigations, particularly affecting collaboration between the Prosecution Department, police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD). The evaluation of existing cases has also stalled and progress on new cases has come to a halt.

The strike has also impacted trials in older cases, creating significant challenges for prisoners who are left in limbo as their trials remain suspended.This has added pressure on overcrowded jails with offenders being incarcerated without progress in their cases due to the absence of prosecutors in court.

Thousands of accused are stuck in detention as bail hearings are not being conducted.The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Prosecution Officers Welfare Association said the strike would continue until their demands were met.

The association had announced an indefinite boycott of court proceedings in protest against the government’s failure to approve the establishment of an independent Prosecution Department and Prosecutor General’s Office, as well as to address issues related to service structure for prosecutors.

The prosecutors presented a nine-point charter of demands to the government, warning that if their grievances were not addressed, the entire criminal justice system in the province would come to a standstill. Protest banners inscribed with demands were displayed in the offices of the prosecutors across the province.