Quetta: Lawyers on Saturday boycotted courts in Balochistan in protest against the arrest of Haq Do Tehreek (HDT) leader Maulana Hidayatur Rehman in Gwadar.

The Balochistan Bar Council strongly condemned Maulana’s arrest and termed it as an act tantamount to contempt of court. The Bar urged Balochistan chief secretary and inspector-general of police to take immediate notice of the incident. It said that the HDT leader was in court with his lawyers to seek interim bail. It is the fundamental right of every citizen to appear before a court to seek interim bail, the Bar added.

The Bar said the Gwadar police have completely failed to protect the lives and properties of the citizens. Rehman was arrested on Friday after he showed up at a local court over the charges of killing a policeman. A heavy police contingent was present outside the local court to arrest three others along with the HDT leader. Police had registered FIR against the Maulana and other leaders of the movement for causing damages to public and private properties. However, the charges were vehemently denied by the Maulana.