LAHORE -  Following Pakistan Bar Council’s call for strike seeking Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation over Panama Papers probe, the lawyers on Wednesday boycotted court proceedings across the country.

The lawyers demanded the PM to step down and face accountability over his alleged role in corruption and business abroad.

Since April 20, the day when the SC announced verdict against the Sharif family, first time it was observed that the lawyers went on strike throughout the country. At lower courts, the lawyers observed complete strike while at the superior courts, the strike was partial and the black coats appeared in courts only in urgent nature of cases. The lawyers organised meetings and discussions on Panama case and deliberated over their future plan regarding their movement against the ruling party.

The Lahore High Court Bar Association, however, did not observe strike for the sake of litigants but it clearly stated that the bar leadership and its members were sticking with their demand of PM’s resignation.

Talking to the reporters, LHCBA Secretary Amir Saeed Rawn said that the association was the first to raise voice for PM’s resignation but it was not in the favour of strike as it would cause trouble for the litigants.

Earlier, in a press statement, Pakistan Bar Council said that JIT report in Panama Papers’ case was a charge-sheet against the Sharif family including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. It regretted that the whole family was involved in corruption and requested the Supreme Court to declare the guilty of JIT report as disqualified.

The lower courts including civil and family courts, sessions courts and special courts in Lahore deferred thousands of cases till next dates without taking them up due to the strike. The strike adversely affected the litigants who returned homes in desperation.