May 08, 2007	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 20, 1428

SARGODHA, May 7: Lawyers observed a complete strike here on Monday against the alleged misbehaviour of the city DSP and factory area SHO with a former bar secretary and other members.

Reports said DSP Liaquat Tarar and SHO Aamer Iqbal Cheema had humiliated the lawyers and tried to kidnap them at gunpoint.

It has been learnt that the police have registered a case of criminal assault and damaging official vehicles under the Anti-Terrorism Act against about 50 lawyers, including bar president Malik Afzal Farooq and secretary Malik Nasrullah.

The FIR has been sealed and no arrest was made.

Sargodha DBA ex-secretary Syed Tayab Sherazi told this correspondent that some lawyers were boarding a Lahore-bound bus parked in front of the main gate of the bar when SHO Iqbal Cheema and DSP Liaquat Tarar stopped them and ordered the driver to go away. As a result, lawyers got infuriated and asked them to leave the place. Mr Cheema declined to go away, saying that he would not allow the bus to proceed towards Lahore. Lawyers pelted stones at the police jeep on which the officials went away.

Tayab Sherazi alleged that Mr Cheema was a corrupt police officer and had been transferred from Shahpur on public complaints.

He said DSP Tarar claimed to be a close relative of an army general and recently he had developed tussle with the local businessmen who went on strike for a couple of days but DPO Sheikh Muhammad Umer intervened and saved the police from confrontation with traders.

When this correspondent contacted Mr Tarar, he flatly refused to give any information and abused the lawyers’ community. DPO Muhammad Umer was not available for comments.

Meanwhile, a DBA meeting on Monday decided to get a case registered against the police officers and sought help from Lahore High Court Bar Association president in this regard.