LAHORE, April 29: A Lahore High Court Bar Association meeting called to greet lawyers on their firm and united stand against the presidential referendum was marred on Monday by pandemonium.

As soon as Punjab Bar Council member Masood Chishti read out a resolution, a group of lawyers consisting of Advocate Amir Asif Ranjha, a nephew of Federal Minister Dr Khalid Ranjha, and other members of his and Punjab Law Minister Rana Ijaz’s group started shouting that no resolution against the referendum could be considered by the Bar after the Supreme Court judgment. The association would be committing contempt of the highest court if it continued its campaign against the referendum.

Some of the protesting lawyers occupied the dais in the melee that followed. The resolution was favoured by a majority but the protesting lawyers alleged that it was put to vote after announcement of adjournment.

Another resolution moved by Advocate Manzoor Ali Gilani condemned police action against lawyers’ processions in Karachi and Quetta. In the absence of Chaudhry Muzzammil, the association’s president, the session was chaired by vice-president Khawar Ikram Bhatti.

LHCBA secretary Shahid Mahmood Bhatti later said the government was out to create a rift among lawyers and Monday’s incident was intended to further ‘official designs.’

The protesters said the adjournment was announced by the secretary and he should not have put the resolution to vote after his announcement. They said now that the Supreme Court had upheld the referendum order, they would not allow the Bar to continue its protest against it.