September 30, 2007	Sunday	Ramazan 17, 1428

LAHORE, Sept 29: A scuffle broke out between lawyers and police when the former tried to make their way to the heavily-guarded office of the Election Commission here on Saturday.

The lawyers were protesting against the acceptance of Gen Pervez Musharraf’s nomination papers for presidential elections on the call of the national action committee. Before they set out to the office of the election commission from Aiwan-i-Adl, their emotions ran high as they watched on television screens their colleagues being canned by Islamabad police.

A strong wave of anti-Musharraf slogans and clapping swept through the barroom when a private television channel showed Aitzaz Ahsan charging towards a group of policemen in Islamabad. Syed Muhammad Shah, President of Lahore Bar Association (LBA) had to cut short the proceedings of the general house when those present in barroom made passionate pleas for moving out.

Outside, the police buses carrying cops in riot gear and the barricades, erected to keep lawyers away from the election commission office, formed a picture of a battleground. The ferocity with which the lawyers roared against Gen Musharraf and pushed against the police in their endeavour to lay a siege around the Election Commission’s office drew frantic baton-charging.

When a few lawyers were injured during a half-an-hour of brawl, Shah decided to withdraw and led them back to the front gate of the Aiwan-i-Adl. They were still chanting slogans at the top of their voice when the news about the lawyers’ protest at the Lahore High Court emerged.

Traffic was suspended when the lawyers came out of the Lahore High Court to hold an extra-ordinary meeting on The Mall. Firdous Butt, Vice President of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, had called Ahsan Bhoon, her president, who had been at home at that time, to apprise him of her decision to take out a rally in protest against the treatment meted out to lawyers in Islamabad.

After coming out on The Mall, the lawyers set ablaze the copies of the Supreme Court’s decision in favour of two offices of Gen Musharraf. They said judges of the Supreme Court from Punjab had let the entire nation down while the chief Justice of Pakistan played a silent spectator to the brutal treatment of lawyers.

Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari, former president of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, said the history would never forgive the six judges. Ansari said state terrorism could not put an end to lawyers’ movement which would bear fruits like the one for the restoration of the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

The atmosphere resounded with the slogans - ‘Down with Musharraf’ and ‘Go Musharraf Go’ - while police stood by after blocking all avenues to the Punjab Assembly. The protesters said Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz had engineered the torture the lawyers faced today.

They also called for a quick action from the SC against the responsible who ordered baton charge on lawyers and journalists.

Talking to journalists after the lawyers dispersed peacefully, Ahsan Bhoon said: “We expect the Chief Justice of Pakistan would take notice of the torture of lawyers.”

To a question, he said it was unfortunate to see the leaders and workers of political parties absent from the protest against Gen Musharraf’s re-election. He hoped soon they would join forces with lawyers to rid the country of the worst dictatorship.