RAHIM YAR KHAN: The situation turned tense on Sunday between lawyers and police on the district courts premises here after demolition of eight chambers of the lawyers by the court employees.

Lawyers, including Imran Ashraf and Shehzad Mohandra alleged that on Friday morning two stamp vendors broke the panaflexes of some lawyers at their newly-built chambers.

Later, some court employees wearing uniforms demolished the chambers of Afzaal Ahmed, Adnan Akhtar Chandia, Ali Faiz Tatla, Kashif Sandhoo, Ms Kausar Aziz, Abdul Mannan Bajwa, Salman Khalid Malhi and Asif Siddiqui near the new judicial complex in the presence of police.

Following that, many young lawyers reached there immediately and started rebuilding the walls of the chambers.

Meanwhile, City A Division SHO Malik Iqbal with some policemen arrived on the spot. A quarrel started between lawyers and police when Assistant Sub Inspector Arif allegedly misbehaved with a lawyer.

As the situation aggravated, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Sadar) Khalid Masood Bhatti, heading a police contingent, also arrived on the scene and stopped the lawyers from reconstructing the chambers.

At this some of the lawyers turned aggressive.

However, before the situation further aggravated lawyers’ leaders and police officers held a dialogue.

In the meeting it was decided that the judges and the district bar association (DBA) office-holders would decide the matter.

Later, Assistant Commissioner Aitzaz Anjum also visited the spot.

Owner of one of the demolished chambers, Afzaal Ahmed, said he had built the chamber in December last year with the approval of DBA former president Khadam Hussain Khaskheli. Most of the chambers were built by young lawyers, he added.

DBA president Farooq Warind and secretary Mubashar Nazir Laar were not available for their comments.

Sources said that the chambers’ construction was allowed by previous DBA body, while the present office-holders had reservations about the move.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2018