LAHORE: A lawyers’ convention on Saturday demanded withdrawal of contempt proceedings against Advocate Sher Zaman Qureshi, president of the Lahore High Court Bar Association-Multan chapter, and also condemned ‘police torture’ of lawyers during a protest here on Aug 21.

The convention was jointly hosted by the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) and Lahore Bar Association (LBA) with the blessings of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), said a declaration.

However, some participants of the convention hurled threats at media persons for, what they alleged, biased reporting of the contempt matter and also restrained them from covering the event.

The declaration further said the lawyers believed in mutual respect and esteem of the bar and the bench and condemned any attempt on the part of a judge or judges to humiliate or insult any member or representative of the bar.

It said the convention condemned in strongest terms the police violence against lawyers in and outside the LHC and held Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah responsible for the whole episode. It also demanded immediate removal of containers placed inside the LHC in the name of security.

The convention also endorsed the SCBA decision that Mr Qureshi should be produced before the Supreme Court instead the LHC to avoid further complications in the matter.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the SCBA executive committee also passed a unanimous resolution against the ‘police violence’ against the lawyers.

The meeting condemned “atrocities” and “highhandedness” committed by the law enforcement agencies against lawyers.

It observed that some section of the print and electronic media acted unfairly, in a biased manner in the matter of Multan high court bar. The meeting took a strong exception to a term “wukla gardi” used by some of the news channels.

The meeting also considered the letter of Attorney General for Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali published in national dailies and expressed reservations on the view of the principal law officer.

It condemned issuance of non-bailable warrants and cancellation of practice licence of Mr Qureshi by the high court and resolved that after consultation with the Multan High Court Bar Association, a petition would be filed before the SC against the orders of the of the LHC.

The anti-riot police had used water cannon and fired teargas after over hundred supporters of Mr Qureshi stormed past the judges’ gate of the LHC on Aug 21 soon after a larger bench seized with the contempt matter issued non-bailable arrest warrants of the lawyer for his constant refusal to appear before it.

The bench had initiated the contempt proceedings against Mr Qureshi and another lawyer for misbehaving with a judge at the Multan bench of the LHC and resorting to vandalism.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2017