Jhang Lawyers: Govt to withdraw cases, transfer DPO

LAHORE: An additional advocate general (AAG) informed the Lahore High Court that the government had decided to withdraw cases against Jhang lawyers and also transfer the district police officer (DPO) Jhang. A division bench of the LHC was conducting the hearing a suo-motu notice over arrest of lawyers inJhang and registeration of cases against them under terrorism charges.  Jhang police had arrested dozens of lawyers and charged 34 of them with terrorism laws. The lawyers were subsequently released by the anti-terrorism court but the police had refused to withdraw the cases.  Appearing before the court on Wednesday, the AAG said that the government had decided to withdraw the cases and also planned to transfer the DPO before EID.  Supreme Court Bar Association president Asma Jahangir said that the IGP had given her his word that the cases would be withdrawn. Adjourning the hearing, the court advised the lawyers to end their three month old strike, considering the litigants’ suffering because of it.



Published in The Express Tribune, August 18^th, 2011.