LAHORE, May 22: Lawyers on Thursday visited Lahore High Court (LHC) courtrooms to ensure implementation of a call for boycott of the courts of the judges who took oath under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO).

During the course, Hafiz Abdur Rehman Ansari, head of a newly-formed committee to implement the boycott call, had argument with Justice Syed Shabbar Raza Rizvi and Justice Tariq Shamim.

Lahore High Court Bar Association President Anwar Kamal formed the committee on Wednesday amid growing concerns that lawyers in Lahore were ignoring the Pakistan Bar Council’s call for boycott of court proceedings on Thursdays.

Gathered in front of a corridor leading to courtrooms, several LHCBA members asked their colleagues not to appear in courts. Later, they went to courtrooms to stop the lawyers who were pleading their cases. When Mr Ansari asked the lawyers and Justice Tariq Shamim to abandon the proceedings, the judge warned him of arrest.

“I am not afraid of arrest. I know you very well, you are a PCO judge,” Mr Ansari said to Justice Shamim and left the courtroom along with the lawyers who were waiting for their cases to be taken up. The lawyers also went to the courtroom of Justice Rizvi and asked the only lawyer present there to stop pleading his case.

The lawyer refused to go with the bar members and Justice Rizvi asked them not to force him to quit the court proceedings. On this, Mr Ansari asked the judge: “You should also retire to your chamber because today lawyers are following the PBC’s call for boycott of court proceedings.” When Justice Rizvi said he was not under the discipline of the bar, Ansari said he (the judge) fell under the discipline of (deposed) chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

After the arguments, lawyers raised slogans against PCO judges and left the courtroom. They also went to the courtroom of Justice Ahsan Bhoon and asked lawyers to boycott proceedings.

“We are doing what was once your task, but you chose to become a judge,” said Mr Ansari. Justice Bhoon said he did not have any objection to lawyers following the PBC’s call.

Speaking at a press conference later, Hafiz Abdur Rehman Ansari said the PCO judges should not interfere with the bar. He said the boycott was almost complete and only a few lawyers appeared in courts. “Next Thursday, the boycott would be made more effective,” he added.

He advised lawyers not to file their urgent cases on Wednesdays to avoid appearance before PCO judges on Thursdays. He said the bar had prepared a list of lawyers who appeared before the judges, but would not display it this Thursday. He said that names of the lawyers not obeying the boycott call the next Thursday would be displayed in the barroom and their memberships would be cancelled. He said lawyers belonging to the People’s Lawyers Forum, associated with the Pakistan People’s Party, were also responding to the boycott call.

Speaking on the occasion, PLF leader Raja Zulqarnain said there was no division among lawyers on the issue of judges’ restoration. He said the PLF had apprised the PPP leadership of its stance on the judges issue and that they would not accept dictates of one man.

LHCBA’s Anwar Kamal, Rana Asadullah and Raja Abdur Rehman and LBA’s Latif Sara were also present.