Suspect flees as lawyers ‘thrash cop’

LAHORE: Some lawyers are accused of having thrashed an assistant sub-inspector, “freeing” an accused from the Lahore High Court premises after his bail was rejected.

Jehangir, an accused in an attempted murder case, appeared before the court of Justice Anwar Bhoor on Tuesday in connection with his pre-arrest bail. The court, however, rejected his bail application.

Sources told this correspondent that Mian Shah Abbas, the vice-president of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, and four other lawyers scuffled with ASI Muhammad Asif of Chunnia police station when he tried to arrest the accused.

The mêlée is said to have been broken up by Ahsan Bhoon, a respected lawyer, who rescued the policeman and handed him over to his colleagues.

Meanwhile, Shah Abbas said he was only trying to dissuade the policeman not to arrest the man from inside the court premises, telling him that it was illegal. But he insisted on having his own way which resulted in a heated debate followed by a scuffle.

Also on Tuesday, a lawyer, Rai Asif, filed an application against Zahid Hussain and his accomplices accusing him of subjecting him and his colleagues to “severe torture”. Islampura police have registered an FIR under Section 506-B of the Pakistan Penal Code.

According to the application, Zahid and his accomplice had attacked him in the premises of the district courts.

He said the accused also threatened him of his life. However, other people who were there at the time of the incident said that the complainant and several other lawyers had tortured Zahid and others and compelled them to tender an apology.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23^rd, 2010.