ISLAMABAD: Police on Wednesday resorted to firing at lawyers on the district and session courts premises during a scuffle that erupted between them after a police official intercepted a lawyer when he was going to judicial lockups to meet his client, police and lawyers said.

Talking to Dawn, President Islamabad Bar Association (IBA) Shakeel Abbasi said after hearing the murder case, Lawyer Zarar Shah was going towards the judicial lockups to meet his client, who was also his relative.

However, a policeman intercepted him at some distance from the lockup, which ensued an argument during which the policeman pushed the lawyer, who could not maintain his balance, and fell, the lawyer’s leader said.

Later, the lawyer brought the issue to the attention of the bar’s president, and in response, Mr Abbasi, along with some other office-bearers, approached a DSP to inquire about the matter, he said, adding that on their way to meet the DSP, some other lawyers also joined them.

A scuffle started between the police and the lawyers when the bar’s office-bearers were discussing the issue with the DSP, Mr Abbasi said, adding that during the scuffle the police started firing straight and later into the air.

The lawyers left the spot and approached the sessions judge and brought the issue to his notice, he said, adding that later the lawyers’ community staged a sit-in in the courts.

Later, DIG, SSP, and SP met the office-bearers and the sessions judge and assured that a case would be registered against the policemen who misbehaved with them.

Besides, they would also be suspended and removed from the courts in response to lawyers’ demands, the bar’s president said, adding that later the senior police officers brought the demands to the notice of the IGP, who refused to register the case and suspend or remove the police officials from the courts.

Over the IGP’s decision, the lawyers announced a complete strike on Thursday (today); besides, the police will not be allowed to enter the premises of the courts, the bar president said.

The police on their official X account posted that the scuffle between the police and lawyers started when a policeman deployed at the judicial lockups interacted with a lawyer due to security concerns when he was giving something to a murder accused, as it was illegal. The lawyers gathered and reached the judicial lockups and scuffled with the police, it further added.

However, the post was shortly deleted from the police official X account.

In another post in the evening, the police said the under-trial prisoners rioted in the judicial lockups, and the police took action to take control over the situation. The episode had nothing to do with the lawyers, it added.

When contacted, the PRO for the police said that post was deleted as there was no need for it on social media. However, the police have the same version or comment over the incident, which was stated in the deleted post on X, he added.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2024