KARACHI: The judge of an accountability court has sought permission from the chief justice of the Sindh High Court for lodging an FIR against some lawyers, including Karachi Bar Association (KBA) President Naeem Qureshi, for allegedly “using criminal force and threats to ... deter him from discharging his duty”.

Judge Farid Anwar Qazi of the Accountability Court-IV sent a letter dated March 16 to the SHC registrar that reads: “At 09:30am when the undersigned was sitting in his chamber Naeem Qureshi advocate, Hafeez Baloch advocate, Amir Nawaz Warraich advocate and other advocates barged into the chamber of undersigned without permission with mob and attacked the undersigned by using abusive and filthy language and issued threats of dire consequences for proceeding with the cases.”

“Their life threatening threats tantamount to contempt of court and caused severe mental agony to the undersigned and even after asking them to leave the chamber to which they refused and with audacity responded: Jo karna he karlo, jis ko bulana he, bula lo,” wrote Judge Qazi.

The judge deplored that the “act of the said advocates amounts to undermining the prestige and respect of the institution and they also raised slogans against the judiciary, and later on they at their own whim and wish left the chamber of undersigned”.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2019