F.P. Report
LAHORE: Lawyers across the country will go on strike tomorrow (Thursday) against the police torture of their colleagues in Lahore.
The representatives of lawyers’ bodies from across the country announced the strike after a violent clash between the police and the blackcoats outside the Lahore High Court.
The police used baton-charge and teargas to stop lawyers from storming the Lahore High Court to protest against the arrest of their colleagues on terror charges and the shifting of some courts to different locations.
The lawyers pelted the police with stones too. The LHC turned into a battlefield, grinding The Mall life to a halt.
Accusing the police of treating the lawyers like terrorists, the representatives of bar councils and associations announced going on strike.
“Lawyers across the country would stage a complete strike tomorrow,” the PBC vice chairman told the media in Lahore.
Flanked by other leaders, he said 50 lawyers were injured while scores were arrested by the police.
They demanded the immediate release of their detained colleagues and action against the police responsible for the use of force.
According to the lawyers, their colleagues were “engaged in a peaceful protest against the notification to transfer cases to the ‘Model Town kutchery’ and the unjustified registration of terrorism cases against their fraternity’.
“We are lawyers. We’re not terrorists. “they said, demanding suspension of the IGP and the DIG concerned.
They said the crooks had been making escapes from the lockup exposing the police performance. They also accused the judiciary of being biased. However, they said they would stand firm for the freedom of the judiciary.
Similarly, the Karachi and Islamabad bar associations seconded the strike call to show solidarity with the Lahore lawyers.
Condemning the ‘police high-handedness’, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) urged Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa to take notice of the incident.
SCBA President Shahzad Shaukat, Secretary Syed Ali Imran and the bar’s executive committee “expressed solidarity with the lawyers and their just stance”.
“Numerous lawyers have reportedly sustained serious injuries and many have been unjustly detained,” the statement highlighted. It demanded immediate medical attention for the wounded and the prompt release of the arrested lawyers.
The SCBA lawyers also strongly condemned and criticised the “inept handling of this very sensitive matter” by LHC Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, who, they said, “failed to resolve the issue despite repeated appeals from the Bar”.
They highlighted that the lawyers’ arrests were a ‘clear infringement of the principles of democracy, freedom of expression, and the right to dissent’.
“If the police brutality continues unchecked and the lawyers’ just & fair demands remain unmet, this protest will escalate into a nationwide movement, with SCBA spearheading the call for nationwide action.
Courtesy: 24 news
