The relationship between the legal fraternity of Multan division and Punjab judiciary led by chief justice of the Lahore High Court Mansoor Ali Shah was already at its lowest point, when the latter ordered to close the entire LHC benches, including the officers and the courts in July. A contempt of court proceeding was also initiated against LHC Multan High Court Bar Association President Sher Zaman at the principle registry Lahore over his misbehaviour with a judge during the hearing and the staged protest outside the court. This led to the court suspending Zaman’s practising licence. But the situation got worse when the Multan High Court Bar Association president refused to appear before the LHC’s larger bench.
All this has led to lawyers in Multan staging a protest and boycotting the court’s proceedings. But at what cost? The litigants, who are immensely suffering. Moreover, while the lawyers’ demands may or may not be justified, but the violence and vandalism of state’s property is unacceptable. Since the lawyers’ movement regarding the restoration of judges, highhanded attitude of lawyers has exceeding and incidents of lawyers’ misbehaviour are becoming frequent in the country, particularly in Punjab. The lawyers’ disciplinary committees have almost been dysfunctional.
This raises the question over the bars’ procedure of self-accountability. It is high time the superior bars took measures to discourage strike culture in the courts. The provincial judiciary should also show restraint and take pragmatic steps of judicial reforms keeping in view the ground realities. Both bench and bar should realise that the ultimate losers due to their conflict are the common people.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 21st, 2017.
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