Abduction attempt: Aasia Bibi’s lawyers threatened

Court orders the registration of a case against five men.

LAHORE: Additional District and Sessions Judge Malik Tariq Mahmood Zargham on Tuesday directed the Old Anarkali police to register a case against some people accused of threatening and trying to abduct Aasia Bibi’s lawyers.

Judge Zargham has told the police to record the lawyers’ statements and take appropriate action.

The petition was filed by Advocate Muhammad Yasin and Advocate Amjad Ali Sherazi, members of Free Legal Aid and Settlement (an NGO). The petitioners said that they were the counsel for Aasia Bibi’s appeal against her conviction in the Lahore High Court.

They said the hearing of the case was set for February 14. As they were leaving the LHC, five unidentified men intercepted them near Old Anarkali, they tried to drag Yasin out of the car by his collar. The petitioners said on resisting, two of the men whipped out pistols and threatened to shoot them if they did not get out of the car. They said that they raised hue and cry after which a crowd gathered at the scene and the men fled.

The lawyers said the men had been making threatening telephone calls since then. They had asked Yasin and Sherazi to drop the case or face dire consequences. The lawyers told the court that the Old Anarkali SHO had refused to register an FIR against the men.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2014.