Police, lawyers clash in Lahore

ISLAMABAD - Judicial services were paralysed in Pakistan’s Lahore city Saturday after a clash between lawyers and police turned violent.

The clash erupted inside the Lahore High Court premises when agitating lawyers tried to take out a rally to condemn the police action against them Friday.

The police resorted to aerial firing and baton-charge to disperse the mob while tear gas shells were also fired to keep them confined to court premises as the lawyers pelted stones at the policemen and beat up some of them.

Similar violent clashes Friday had led to the arrest of more than 50 lawyers, who were later released.

The advocates, who Friday were prevented by police to take out a protest march against the alleged irrational behaviour of a session judge, had announced to take out a rally here Saturday.

The lawyers have been demanding the transfer of session judge Zawar A. Sheikh for several months now accusing him of irrational behaviour. Amidst all this controversy, Sheikh has gone on a week-long leave to stay away from the scene as efforts are underway to resolve the crisis.

The recent clashes evoked a mixed response in the law fraternity.

“This attitude from the lawyers is not acceptable. I am forced to say that lawyers are turning into goons,” said leading jurist Aitzaz Ahsan.

Vice-chairman Pakistan Bar Council Mumtaz Mustafa said that “police torture had provoked the lawyers who were peaceful otherwise”.

The bar politics has also come into play in the whole affair and the presidential candidate for the forthcoming elections of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Asma Jahangir, staged a sit-in outside the anti-terrorist court where the arrested lawyers were being kept. “I’ll not leave this premises because lawyers have been arrested without a reason,” she stressed.

Pakistan Bar Council has also announced it would hold a protest rally and observe strike Oct 4.

The judges of the lower courts, on the other hand, have announced they would hold a joint meeting Sunday to formulate their strategy. No case was heard in any courtroom Friday and Saturday.

(Awais Saleem can be contacted at ians.pakistan@gmail.com)