Bedlam at Aiwan-e-Adl

The Pakistan Bar Council announces it will observe a country-wide strike over differences with LHC's sessions judges.

LAHORE:

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Saturday took suo motu notice of continued scuffling between lawyers and police and issued notices to Punjab’s top administrative and police officials to explain the high-handedness of law enforcement personnel.

The notices come amid renewed clashes between lawyers and police on Saturday. And dozens of lower court judges in Multan resigned in protest against Thursday’s attack by lawyers on the chamber of the Lahore High Court chief justice.

According to a press note issued from the Supreme Court, notices have been issued to the Punjab home secretary, provincial police officer (PPO) commissioner, district coordination officer (DCO) and city police officer of Lahore, DIG operations and superintendents of police concerned. An apex court bench, to be headed by the chief justice himself, will hear the case on Monday.

On Friday, police reportedly entered the Lahore district courts, known as Aiwan-e-Adl – including bar rooms and library – and mercilessly thrashed the lawyers. Several lawyers, among them women, were wounded in the mayhem.

The government officials have been asked to explain why  excessive force was used against the lawyers. They have also been asked to explain their position and produce records, if any, as to whether any action has been initiated against policemen responsible for using excessive force.

Excessive use of force and high-handedness by the police clearly violate the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights, according to the press note.  Therefore, the matter has been registered under Article 184(3) of the Constitution.

Notices were issued to the attorney-general as well as the advocate-general of Punjab to assist the court.

Private TV channels and media persons have also been asked to provide footage of the incident. It would also be appreciated if they could play footage in the court, if need be.

Meanwhile there was no change in the situation on the ground. Clashes continued between lawyers and police for the third day in a row on Saturday. Lawyers hurled small stones at the police after they were stopped from staging a rally outside the Awan-e-Adl.

Angry lawyers smashed the glass windows of two police vehicles, dragged out the drivers and beat them with shoes. Police clubbed the lawyers and fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters.

A group of lawyers also beat up two cameramen of private TV channels who were filming the incident. They snatched their cameras and destroyed the tape In a related development, the Punjab Bar Council has barred the entry of Khwaja Muhammad Sharif, Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court, and prominent lawyers including Aitzaz Ahsan, Hamid Khan and Qazi Anwar, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, and sons and sons-in-law of the LHC CJ from their building complex.

Over in Multan, most civil judges tendered their resignations to express solidarity with District and Sessions Judge Zawwar A Shaikh. Forty-three civil judges in Multan division submitted their resignations to district and sessions judge in Multan, Syed Ejaz Hussain, on Saturday to protest the lawyers’ attack on the chamber of the LHC chief justice.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2010.