December 08, 2006	Friday	Ziqa'ad 16, 1427

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MULTAN, Dec 7: The Khanewal district administration on Thursday demolished several houses of lawyers and other people constructed at a state land and took over the possession of the area.

The operation clean-up came apparently in response to the lawyers’ alleged assault on Deputy District Officer (Revenue) Zia Ahmad Shami. On Wednesday, some lawyers allegedly beat up Mr Shami and also ransacked his office over a row of possession of land for the lawyers’ colony.

Reports reaching here said the lawyers, led by District Bar Association president Javed Hashmi, also thrashed the DDO office staff when they came to the rescue of their boss. The enraged lawyers damaged the furniture and electronics of the offices of the DDO and district monitoring officer Zahid Ikram.

Javed Hashmi told this correspondent that there were 160 kanals for the proposed colony and according to the revenue department record the land was under possession of some lawyers. He said the chief minister had announced that a 25-kanal land near the lawyer’s colony site would be allotted for journalists’ colony which the lawyers had occupied.

He said the DDO demolished all the illegal constructions on the land on Tuesday night and not a single lawyer resisted but later some people of the adjoining Nizamabad Colony started demolishing the constructions of lawyers in their colony as well.

When the lawyers tried to get help of the police and asked them to lodge an FIR against the people who were involved in the demolition work, he said, the police refused to lodge any case. However, the lawyers decided to protest against the local administration on Wednesday and when the lawyers reached the DDO’s office there was an exchange of word.

“Later, we came to know that the DDO has accused us of beating him and alleged that lawyer Muhammad Imran carried a pistol. In fact, Imran was one of the five lawyers who were hospitalised after suffering injuries in clash with the residents of Nizamabad on Tuesday night.”

He said the lawyers were against any conflict with the public departments and journalists and the DDO had levelled baseless allegations.

DCO Muhammad Khan Khichi told Dawn that the administration had advertised a notice for vacation of land for journalists’ colony a day before launching an operation and the 24-hour notice was enough to do the job.