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Bar president, lawyer killed in clash between lawyers and police in Sialkot
SIALKOT: Protests erupted in several cities across Punjab after two lawyers — including Daska Bar Association President Rana Khalid Abbas — were killed and two others wounded on Monday during a clash between protesting lawyers and police in Daska tehsil of Sialkot district in Punjab.
Lawyers in various parts of Multan, Faisalabad and Gujranwala are staging protests against the killing of their colleagues. Several lawyers also resorted to attacks on police personnel and mobile vans, according to TV reports.
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| Lawyers attack police personnel during protest. —DawnNews screengrab |
Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court took notice of the killings and summoned the heads of various lawyers organisations. The CJ also sought a report from the Daska district and sessions judge as a meeting went under way in this regard.
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| A lawyer and policeman clash during protests — DawnNews screengrab |
During the meeting, it was decided that Rangers personnel would be sought to maintain the law and order situation in the violence-hit areas.
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| A lawyer is seen throwing bricks at a police van during protests. —DawnNews screengrab |
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| Two lawyers were killed and others wounded during a clash between protesting lawyers and police in the Daska tehsil of Sialkot on Monday. ─ DawnNews screengrab |
Earlier, officials of Daska Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) along with SHO of Daska city police station Shehzad Warraich were conducting an anti-encroachment drive in Sialkot's Daska tehsil when local residents and lawyers staged a protest, seeking more time from authorities.
The SHO opened straight fire to disperse the protesters as a result of which a pedestrian and three lawyers, including the Daska bar president, sustained gunshot wounds.
The injured were shifted to Civil Hospital Daska where Rana Khalid Abbas and another lawyer succumbed to their wounds during treatment.
Fear and tension gripped the area after the incident as lawyers and area residents took to the streets protesting against the action. Businesses and markets also closed down after the clash.
SHO Shehzad Warraich was later arrested on the orders of District Police Officer Dr Shahzad Asif Khan.
Abbas, an active leader of the local PTI chapter, was elected president of the Daska Bar Association in January this year.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed concern over the law and order situation in Daska, saying no one should be allowed to take the law into his own hands and damage public property.
He sought a report into the incident and directed authorities to take immediate measures to pacify sentiments.
Comments (46) Closed
What type of administration is this; firing straight???
straight firing bear resemblance to model town incidence .
The rulers have learned nothing since Model Town carnage!!!
Well the Chief Minister and his brother have a clean chit for Modal Town killings. This is just a small incident.Relax and don't get panicky. Notice has been taken.
I see another JIT will be formed who will set free the Policemen and authorities and will declare a thunderbolt cause of death.
Sad happening, seems a partly finished press report, there should have been more details about the reason of sad firing incident.
Why the lawyers were protesting against the anti-encroachment drive? as a lawyers they should know about the law..
Again suffering for General Public.
@ali ahmed - Does such protest justify shooting?
Police has got encouragement from JIT report on model town....no stopping them now
this speaks of the govrnance being folloed in punjab
Both Lawers and police voilated the law and must be served justice.
@syed wasim haider . This is the state of affairs in the best (police) administered province of Pakistan.
Punjab has become virtualy a police state. Another example of state Terrorism.
@ali ahmed every one has right for protest this doesent mean straight fire
Why were they protesting? The problem is that we don't want to follow the law. We think that laws are for the weak.Encroachment is illegal and when ordered should follow the law. But no, we have to create a situation. An unfortunate situation.
Ali Ahmad protest is not such a crime which could be punished with death please be realistic
Government in all provinces need to take direct action against the land grabbers / encroachers as they deprive the other people of their lawful right
So after observing so many incidences of advocates thrashing and beating policemen on duty, it was bound to happen some day...
This is the kind of governance PML-N is providing. Expect these incidents more often now after Model Town JIT.
Such incidents are bound to happen when perpetrators of atrocities like model town remain sadly unpunished. Justice does'nt seem to have been done in case of the model town tragedy. This is just another example of state's blatant disregard for the laws that it is supposed to safeguard.
By attacking property and people, now lawyers are behaving like gullu butts!
Since a successful movement against Musharraf, lawyers violate law more compared to anyone else. Just seeing this video and images, I can imagine that under what circumstances the SHO may have opened a direct fire at the lawyers. Police has a legal authority to open fire but it comes with responsibility. The anatomy of the incident must be done to expose the truth.
And the impunity goes on unabated
The Lawyers fraternity is not above the law; we have to determine the circumstances that lead to the direct firing on the Lawyers. We have lot of instances whereof the Lawyers did not behave within the parameters of applicable laws in Pakistan, the purpose of my remarks is not to justify the police action rather to find out the reasons for it, and now the reaction of the Lawyers as shown in footages is not justifiable under any circumstances. There is a course of action by resorting to the Law by the Lawyers, smashing Police-vans and beating up Policemen, shall not be the glaring image of the Lawyers.
really really I'm v sorry to hear such bad news...strict measures should be taken against the lawyer murderer
Govt cant be blamed for individual cop's actions. lawyer also have no right to take law into own hands and obstruct govt work/anti encroachment drive. Good move on govt on arresting policeman without delay bad move on lawyers to continue violence even after arrest of cop, y has no lawyer been arrested for taking law into their hands, who gave them right to cause damage when the person at fault was behind bars,
even though the cop is arrested it is fine for the lwyers to act like gullu butts and no one even bats an eye just cuz the slain lawyer was from pti, thats tabdeeli for you
where are the ik supporters now, y are they silent on the action of the lawyers led by their partyman
Senior Bar leaders like rana protesting against anti encroachment drive, was a big blunder on his part, and shows he was not fit to hold the post he did.
This and other recent event are proof PTI is worse than MQM when it comes to anti-encroachment drives, not defending the cop but he is already arrested but the PTI cant even call a spade a spade and admit the lawyers' fault just cuz they were backing the guy who got killed (he shouldn't have been shot dead and shouldnt have been on the spot resisting the drive as well)
@Adil Khalil
No need for JIT, police should register case against the hooligans.
Harmony-1....see the photo....lawyers are justified to attack police van with bricks...no body knows the justification of firing
@Bablo
You are very true, Sir.
@ali raza
Sometimes straight fire is needed to save own lives. In US, it is done even at a slightest of doubt, but here lives of police personnel were threatened. The act of the lawyers was uncalled for.
Now a days lawyer likes to take law in their hands and they not even spare the judges of lower courts. The are becoming gunda force. CJ should take notice of lawyers attitude.
Very sad incident with loss of precious lives.No doubt that the policemen are only trained to be furious and are therefore unable to control their rage. unfortunately aggressive raging mad politics practised by Imran Khan and PTI has added fuel to prevailing highly flammable atmosphere in the country.PTI seems to attract aggressive unruly,highly emotional segments of the society(with few exceptions) which are always hellbent on causing disruption to achieve IK's goal of gaining power(similar to PAT of TQ).
No doubt straight firing can not be justified, but these Lawyers need to review the Laws when they take the Laws in their hands ? It also shows our police dont need the orders from CM or Law minister to open fire,Many times before Lawyers attacked the police, media persons. No government can allow this kind of street justice.
Two lawyers were killed and they set half of the city on fire. Now they Will get justice. There Hazaras killed today in Quetta and hundreds were killed in past. They do not set buildings on fire. May be they Will never get justice. .....This is our judicial system.
Lawyers acting unlawfully, that just about explains our state of affairs.
We did not learn lesson, ZAB case, Model town, Sindh high court NAQAB PUSH, with Danda forces now Deska two innocent lawyer shot down on point black, if this case not decide in short time police will use more forces against innocent citizen.
Cyrus: Any anti-PTI comments?
lawyers are wrong, police action is justified. No one is above the law.
Police action needs further scrutiny. But lawyers initial action and reaction equates to gunda gardi.
Lawyers committing violence should be disbarred from practicing law.
CM and IG police has taken notice of killing the lawyers, as we know about model town killings nothing has happened. Only two lawyers got killed! One thing I don't understand they way lawyers demonstrate and come on roads in Pakistan, I have never witnessed or seen in any other country,how our lawyers behave ? worst then criminals , hooligans. Learn how to demonstrate write banners, your rights, don't dance on the roads, you are educated.