26 June 2004	Saturday	07 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

LAHORE, June 25: Leaders of the Lahore High Court Bar Association and the Punjab Bar Council have threatened the Punjab government with a province-wide strike if Gujrat DPO is not transferred.

Speaking at a news conference here on Friday, LHCBA president Ahmad Awais, PBC executive chairman Pervez Inayat Malik, Gujrat District Bar Association president Tariq Javed Warraich, Lahore Bar Association president Mirza Hanif Beg and others condemned the registration of a criminal case against the DBA president and demanded its withdrawal.

Mr Warraich, who is related to MNA Aitzaz Ahsan and contested the October election against Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi on a PPPP ticket, was charged with embezzlement of the bar funds.

The bar leaders contended that Mr Warraich had been booked at the instance of DPO Raja Munawwar with whom Mr Warraich developed a dispute during October election last year.