Negotiation successful: Lawyers call off protests outside Supreme Court

Police baton-charged lawyers to prevent them from forcing entry into the courts.

ISLAMABAD: A protest staged by the District Bar Associations (DBAs) of five cities outside the Supreme  Court on Tuesday was called off early on Wednesday after successful negotiations, Express News reported.

The protest had turned violent after police launched a baton-charge on the lawyers for forcing entry into the apex court's building.

The sit-in, which began around 9:00am, was meant to press for the establishment of high court benches in five cities of Punjab, namely Sargodha, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sahiwal and Dera Ghazi Khan.

Express News correspondent Muhammad Bilal reported that the police took to shelling and baton-charge after the protesters managed to break in.

They successfully drove the lawyers out of the building, but the commotion around the court's entrance gates carried on for some time.

The clashes reportedly injured at least 14 lawyers including the Islamabad Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Ali, besides the Deputy Superintendent of Police Sheikh Zubair.

The protesters pelted stones at the building which shattered several of the building's windows.