Punjab

Police keep back as lawyers march

Lawyers are given free rein by city’s police as they held a protest rally on The Mall.

Rana Tanveer October 05, 2010

LAHORE: Lawyers were given a free rein by the city’s police on Monday as they held a protest rally on The Mall. This change in the polices behaviour came about, some suspect, in view of the summoning of senior police officers by the Supreme Court in a suo moto notice against the police’s recent battle with lawyers.

Although there were large contingents of police in and around the Lahore High Court (LHC) not a single police official was seen around the Aiwan-e-Adl courts which were the site of the confrontation between the lawyers and the police for the past three days leaving scores from both sides injured.

The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA), after coming under fire from the Lahore Bar Association’s (LBA) lawyers, held a protest rally yesterday. The LHCBA under the leadership of its president, Mian Abdul Quddoos, took to The Mall and marched towards the Aiwan-e-Adl courts to join the LBA general meeting, where former Supreme Court Bar Association president Ali Ahmed Kurd was present, to show solidarity.

The protesting lawyers had easy access to their destination, without any police interference.

As the lawyers moved along their route, they chanted slogans against the police and the Lahore High Court chief justice (CJ), demanding that the CJ take action against police officials involved in the clash with the lawyers.

As the LHCBA rally reached the Aiwan-e-Adl, LBA leaders welcomed them with slogans and showered them with rose petals. Kurd and Qudoos delivered speeches expressing solidarity with the LBA. Both affirmed that political affiliations needed to be put aside and the welfare of the bar treated supreme.

The lawyers took to the Lower Mall and reached the stage the LBA had set up at the PMG chowk. There were no police officials in sight. The protesting lawyers stayed there for 20 minutes before departing for the Bar room.

A police superintendent told The Express Tribune that it was police strategy to stay away from the protesting lawyers in order to avoid provoking them. He said that police was deployed at some points near the court in case of any untoward incident but fortunately nothing unseemly took place.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2010.

COMMENTS (2)

Sultan Ahmed. | 14 years ago | Reply First time in the history of Pakistan, Bar and Bench is face to face, but police availed role as villain and heroes were baton charged mercilessly spectators remained silent,no clapping, not long ago, heroes took revenge, entering into the battle ground like experienced soldiers. in the meanwhile powers with right of veto came in and separated the rival armies, black coat were not aggressor, despite of the favorable order insisting and looks not ready to call off the strike.

Asmat Jamal | 14 years ago | Reply Bar and Bench are once again in the head lines. People will continue to suffer for want of justice. The holy NEXUS and WAR between bar and Bench is resulting in delayed justice, prolonged period of litigation, extra expenditure both for the litigants and government. Often delayed, partial, incomplete and fractional judgements results in more litigations. Hopefully Bench and bar will come out of trivial matters and give relief to the general public.

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