48-hour ultimatum: Lawyers demand release of colleagues

Criticise role of judiciary, blame govt for ‘mishandling’ PIC incident

LAHORE: As the legal fraternity came hard on the conduct of the judges for not extending ‘support’, it also suspended the licences of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, his cabinet ministers Raja Basharat and Fayyazul Hassan Chohan for ‘disgracing’ lawyers on the Punjab Institute Cardiology (PIC) incident.

The Punjab Bar Council summoned an all-Punjab lawyers’ convention in front of the Punjab Bar Council office. The lawyers issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the quarters concerned for the release of lawyers and the constitution of a judicial commission for a fair probe into the scuffle between the lawyers and paramedic staff.

The lawyers not only criticised the LHC’s judges for not protecting the honour of ‘Kala Coat’, Chief Justice of Pakistan for not taking a suo motu notice of lawyers’ issue, the government over not taking any appropriate action against doctors and the media for portraying what they termed the ‘one-sided picture’.

The lawyers held responsible for the government and paramedic staff of the crises claiming if the government had taken appropriate steps timely, the clash could have been averted.

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They also turned the PIC attack as ‘a conspiracy hatched against lawyers’ to divide them merely to humiliate them in the society.

Hundreds of lawyers assembled at the Punjab Bar Council to attend the convention and the atmosphere turned emotional when prominent lawyer Ali Ahmed Kurd delivered his fiery speech. He said if “the arrested lawyers were not released within 48 hours” the lawyers would go to any extent.

“We do not want to turn the situation into chaos,” Kurd said, adding if their colleagues were not released they would not be in a position to guarantee you of the results.

Lawyers criticise judiciary

Punjab Bar Council Vice Chairman Shah Nawaz Ismail Gujjar criticised the role of judges, adding the lawyers laid sacrifices for the judiciary but when the lawyers needed the support of the judiciary, the judges played the role of traitors.

Gujjar said the suo motu notices were taken on petty issues but no notice was taken on lawyers’ issue.

“We do not accept LHC’s judges and condemned the conduct of the judges,” Kurd remarked.

Senior advocate Syed Amjad Shah vice chairman Pakistan Bar Council condemned the role of judges over the lawyer’s issue claiming it is against the judicial conduct if a judge depending upon the media news items misbehaves with the lawyers. They will not forgive such conduct, he maintained.

Senior lawyer Jameel Bhatti also lashed out at judiciary over its role against the lawyer’s community.

Rana Intizar member Punjab Bar Council came hard on judiciary claiming some bails are granted on Saturday and the lawyers are told in courts that the police did not produce the record in bail matters of the arrested lawyers. They will not back the judges when they will be facing a tough time, he vowed.

Member Punjab Bar Council Abdusamad Bisriya lashed out at the judges claiming Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Anwaarul Haq Pannun looked one side picture and opened their mindset on the lawyer’s issue. These were the young lawyers who backed at that time when judges were standing in the lurch.

Resolution

The lawyers also got passed a resolution in convention demanding “immediate action against concerned doctors who caused the occurrence of the unpleasant incident at PIC.

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They also demand to highlight the responsible those who sabotaged the reconciliation process and sought action against them.

They condemned the failure of the government and its (government) sluggishness caused the occurrence of an unpleasant incident. They demanded the constitution of a judicial commission consisting of a judge of the Supreme Court to probe the matter and strict action be taken in light of the findings of the commission. They wanted to resolve the matter with doctors in a peaceful manner and responsible be taken to book.

LBA president Asim Cheema, member Punjab Bar Council Rehim Yar Khan Mumtaz Mustafa, former president LHCBA Shafqat Chohan, Javed Hashmi Rawalpindi Bar Association, and several others delivered their fiery speeches at the occasion claiming the lawyers were not involved in the PIC attack and a conspiracy was hatched to trap the lawyer’s community.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2019.