A LAWYER is considered an officer of court and hence he has a duty to adhere to the standards and duties of a lawyer laid down in the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Rules and Acts.

The lawyers’ conduct on Dec 11 at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) in Lahore was condemnable. Their violence grossly infringed upon the code of ethics provided in the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act 1973 and constituted an offence punishable under the Pakistan Penal Code 1860.

I will not hesitate to say that the entire responsibility for the disgraceful incident falls on the bar council involved — the Punjab Bar Council.

By virtue of section 41 of the 1973 act, a provincial bar council can suspend or remove a lawyer from practice or can order a lawyer to pay an amount as compensation, fine or penalty if a lawyer is found guilty of professional misconduct.

Nevertheless, the so-called disciplinary committees of the provincial bar councils have never performed their duties or exercised their powers in letter and in spirit.

Most lawyers who participated in these disgraceful and violent events are in fact fake lawyers. Section 58 of the 1973 Act specifically states that any person who is not an advocate but practises the profession of law should be jailed for a term which may be extended to three years.

In 2018, the Higher Education Commission verifications showed that the LLB degrees of more than 205 lawyers were fake. Despite that the provincial bar councils issued them the licences to practice law. The provisional bar councils must urgently form committees to identify and expose fake lawyers.

Barrister Arsalan Raja
Karachi

(2)

LAWYERS’ hooliganism phenomenon is not new, but this time around it transgressed decency and law. They are known for doing it on streets and even in courts, but how could they choose a hospital for a protest venue?

Just to satiate their egos and avenge their ‘dishonour’, the lawyers went berserk, although they should be the guardians of law. They swarmed the Punjab Institute of Cardiology and even ransacked ICU and forced the doctors and the paramedics on duty to run for their lives. Left unattended, several heart patients in critical condition lost their lives.

The lawyers did not spare provincial minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan and media persons, torched a police van, fired gunshots and pelted police with bricks and stones.

This disgraceful act from a professional community which represents law and constitution of a democratic country has made the nation to hang its heads in shame and remorse.

No one is above law. It is time to have the rule of law and not tribalism. Hence, no one should go scot-free. All involved, who are easily identifiable, should be barred from practising and be prosecuted.

Zahid Ali
Nagar, Gilgit-Baltistan

(3)

DEC 11 would go down in the history of Pakistan as a black day where people with black coats caused embarrassment and dismay to all Pakistanis. We know very well about this ‘black coat group’, where they grouped and committed such unruly acts.

We do not need to name anybody or a group which backed them and for what purpose.

Lawyers and doctors associations should hold peaceful rallies together in all cities, apart from Lahore, and show us that we have professionals who think of humanity first. It is time for religio-political parties to take this responsibility to guide those who are on the wrong path.

Do not let our heads bow down in shame. We are proud of being Pakistani.

Hasan Tharani
Karachi

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2019