Bar suspends membership of Punjab governor

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Bar Association on Thursday cancelled the membership of Punjab Governor Rafique Rajwana after accusing him of patronising the attack on the All Pakistan Lawyers Representatives Convention which was held in Lahore on May 20.

The bar took this decision after unanimously carrying forth a resolution, presented by LHCBA secretary Amir Saeed Rawn, in its general house meeting.

The moot also banned the entry of Rajwana into the bar premises through this resolution.

It demanded the governor to seek pardon from the legal fraternity for patronising the attack on the lawyers convention through PML-N lawyers and officers affiliated with the Punjab and federal government. The bar also demanded the Prime Minister resign till the conclusion of the JIT investigation into the Panama leaks matter.



The general house meeting paid tribute to two lawyers of Daska who were killed by a police official two years ago. LHCBA President Chaudhry Zulfiqar said after being invited by the LHCBA and Supreme Court Bar Association, about 156 representatives of different bars of the country reached Lahore on May 20 to participate in the convention.

Law offices affiliated with the officers of the attorney general, Punjab advocate general and Punjab prosecutor general office vandalised convention arrangements at the Dr Javed Iqbal Auditorium and damaged bar belongings, he claimed.  The LHCBA president claimed the actions were taken on the instigation of Additional Attorney General Naseer Ahmed Bhutta and the Punjab governor. He added the aim was to create a rift in the legal fraternity.

Zulfiqar said such incidents never occurred even in the tenure of military dictators. The PML-N government earlier attacked the Supreme Court, he said, adding the party has proven it has no respect for democracy.



He said the governor tried to buy the loyalties of lawyers by offering them lucrative jobs, but they refused. “Some law officers tried to disturb the convention at their behest. For these reasons, the governor should not be allowed to enter the bar and his membership should be cancelled.

The LHCBA secretary, during his speech, said government stooges in uniform attacked the bar. He said the government also tried to pay off lawyers to stop their movement on the Panama leaks case, but all its efforts were in vain.

He said lawyers were united and would continue their movement for the rule of law and supremacy of the Constitution.  Lawyers also prayed for the departed souls of lawyers gunned down two years ago in Daska by a police official.

After the general house meeting, the bar members held their weekly protest camp against the government and chanted slogans against the PM and Punjab governor.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2017.