LAHORE: The Islampura police have registered a case against 250 to 300 lawyers, naming 40 of them armed with deadly weapons, under charges of anti-terrorism, kidnapping, attempted murder, and other serious offenses.

The first information report was registered based on the complaint of Islampura Station House Officer Asim Jehangir, who alleged that the lawyers engaged in extensive firing, abducted Police Constable Shahid at gunpoint, and subjected him to torture.

He said that the attackers also assaulted and tortured DSP Ghazi Mohammad Sarwar Awan when he attempted to rescue the constable.

He said that these lawyers gathered outside the Aiwan-i-Adl shortly after the conclusion of the Lahore Bar Association’s annual elections, chanting slogans.

According to the FIR, most of the named lawyers were carrying 30-bore pistols while leading the gathering of 300 others. One of them also used a 9MM pistol.

The lawyers opened fire, hitting an official van and the Metro Bus’s bridge. Despite repeated requests from police officers to refrain from taking the law into their own hands, they ignored the warnings and continued massive firing.

The complainant stated that a group of armed lawyers, including Mohammad Riaz, Muhammad Ahsan, Irfan, Rana Ibrar, and Adil, kidnapped Police Constable Shahid. As the DSP attempted to rescue him, the lawyers attacked him with an iron chair, causing serious injuries.

The complainant concluded that the lawyers took the law into their own hands, committed a heinous crime, and instilled terror in the area.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2024