LAHORE: The legal fraternity on Thursday observed a strike in protest against police torture of the lawyers outside the Lahore High Court.

Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), the top body of the lawyers, had given a countrywide call for a boycott of the courts.

The district courts in the city wore a deserted look as the majority of the lawyers boycotted the courts’ proceedings.

Meanwhile, the security at the Lahore High Court remained beefed up with deployment of anti-riot force of police.

The police had used teargas, baton charge and water cannons to disperse a rally of lawyers as they tried to enter the LHC to lodge their protest

Lawyers oppose move to shift civil courts from Aiwan-i-Adl on Lower Mall to Model Town

against the shifting of civil courts from Aiwan-i-Adl on Lower Mall to Model Town.

Several lawyers suffered injuries during the clashes with the police while dozens of lawyers, including women, were taken into custody.

However, all the arrested lawyers were released in the early hours of Thursday following intervention of Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.

The law minister had requested Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to order release of the lawyers.

A joint session of the bar associations on Thursday announced continuing the strike on Friday (today) and decided to file a reference of misconduct to the Supreme Judicial Council against LHC Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan.

The speakers at the meeting resolved that Lahore High Court Bar Association, Lahore Bar Association and the Punjab Bar Council would file reference against the chief justice on charges of abuse of powers and unconstitutional acts.

They said Justice Khan was no longer eligible to hold the office of the chief justice and he should himself tender his resignation.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2024