Lawyers’ clash: Meeting called on court security interrupted by dissenting lawyers

LBA President said the meeting was called after they received a threatening letter, ostensibly sent by the Taliban.

LAHORE:

A meeting of the Lahore Bar Association at Aiwan-i-Adal called to discuss security at lower courts ended without a conclusion following a scuffle between two groups of lawyers.

President Nauman Qureishi had taken the stage when advocates Syed Jawad Raza, Shaikh Nadeem and Javed Sabir, whose licences have been suspended by Punjab Bar Council for misbehaving with a senior civil judge, interrupted him and demanded that their licences be restored.

They were told to bring up their concerns at a separate committee meeting. LBA representatives also said that they did not have the power to restore the licences.

The three lawyers chanted slogans against the LBA president, alleging that he had called the meeting for his personal security concerns. Raza said the LBA president had obtained money from certain terrorism suspects, promising to have them freed and was threatened on account of his failure.

A scuffle followed and the meeting ended without a decision.

LBA President Nauman Qureishi told The Express Tribune that the meeting had been called after the association received a threatening letter, ostensibly sent by the Taliban. He rubbished the allegations against him.

LBA General Secretary Kamran Bashir Mughal said lawyers also held a meeting with Justice Manzoor Malik, the police DIG, the CCPO and other police officials for enhancing security at lower courts.

He said metal detectors, baggage scanners and walkthrough gates would be installed at lower courts. He said more than 100 policemen would be deputed at court premises.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2013.