LAHORE: A clash erupted between lawyers of the Multan District Bar Association (DBA) and officials of the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (Pera) over an anti-encroachment operation in the premises of the bar on Thursday.

In the morning, a fire erupted in the district accounts office where the record of the land of the district Multan was placed. The accounts office and the district bar share the same premises.

Rescue teams approached the spot and extinguished the fire after hour-long efforts. According to district administration officials, the fire brigade vehicles that went to extinguish the fire could not make their way to the accounts office due to the encroachment in the DBA. The fire brigade vehicle had to be parked far away and it took time to extinguish the fire and it resulted in most of the land record getting burnt, the official claimed.

Multan City area Assistant Commissioner Azka Sehar, talking to the media, said that they were taking measures to shift and save the land record. She said that they would also conduct an investigation into the fire incident and would take action if anyone was found guilty of mismanagement.

Operation launched after a fire erupted in accounts office and fire brigade vehicles were unable to reach the scene due to encroachments

As the rescuers were busy in extinguishing the fire, Pera force officials and vehicles reached the DBA premises and launched an operation against the stalls and canteens established in the way. The Pera officials cleared the way when lawyers and Multan DBA officials locked the main gates of the DBA and did not allow the Pera force and district administration officials and vehicles to leave the spot.

Videos circulating on social media revealed that the lawyers were challenging the authority of Pera for launching the operation in the DBA premises without taking permission or contacting the DBA president and general secretary. The lawyers detained the Pera vehicles and officials and demanded to hand over all the material collected during the anti-encroachment operation from different stalls and canteens.

AC City Ms Saher could also be seen talking to the DBA president and other lawyers about the Pera action and was saying that only the DC could address the issue. The DBA office-bearers and district administration held meetings and later the Pera force handed over all the material and they were allowed to leave the DBA premises.

DBA President Bushra Naqvi told Dawn that a fire had erupted in the accounts office of the district administration but the Pera force launched an operation in the premises of the DBA. She said that hundreds of officials approached the DBA and started operations against the stalls, canteens and other shops.

She said that the district administration had alleged that due to narrow paths, the fire brigade vehicles could not reach the accounts office to extinguish the fire and the operation was launched to clear its route. She said that the authority and district administration did not contact the DBA president or general secretary to launch any anti-encroachment operation.

She said that all the lawyers were gathered and they locked the Katchehry Main Gate and did not allow the Pera officials to leave the premises for hours.

She said that the district administration officials did not have any answer to their questions and they would have to leave all the merchandise, food carts, pushcarts and fruit stalls material.

Pera force head Mubashir Qayyum told Dawn that he was not allowed to comment on the issue and only Multan Deputy Commissioner Noman Siddique would comment on the matter.

The DC was not available to comment after repeated calls and text messages on his mobile phone.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2026