GUJRANWALA, April 3: As many as 10 lawyers of district bar association, including a senator, federal minister and a provincial parliamentary secretary, were issued show cause notices on Tuesday on charges of attending the Punjab chief minister’s public meeting and lawyers’ convention in Lahore.

The DBA chief has sent the case to Punjab bar council for suspending their membership.

Reports said senator Muhammad Anwer Bhinder, state minister Shahid Akram Bhinder, provincial parliamentary secretary Shagufta Anwer, Nasir Inayat, Suleman Khokhar, Shahid Muzaffar, Ziaullah Warraich, Iqbal Mehmood Dhariwal, Khawer Nasreen and Khidmat Husain Waqar had attended a public meeting of the chief minister and lawyers convention in Lahore following violating the bar’s unity. DBA president Ilyas Rehan issued show cause notices to the lawyers and asked them to submit their reply within the next two days.

The bar has recommended suspension of their membership.

CLUBBED TO DEATH: A property dealer who had been kidnapped by his rivals over some monetary dispute a few days ago was allegedly clubbed to death while the police arrested an accused here on Tuesday.

Reports said accused Shafi of Sialkot Road had a money dispute with Rafiq of Farid Town. The former kidnapped the latter from his house with the help of his accomplice and later clubbed him to death. The deceased was the father of five children.

Civil lines police have removed the body to DHQ hospital for autopsy.

PROTEST RALLIES: The district bar association and activists of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal took out separate protest rallies against the `suspension’ of chief justice here on Tuesday.

At a meeting held here with district bar president Ilyas Rehan in the chair, secretary-general Amir Munir Bagri, former president Pervaiz Ahmed Oathi, Punjab bar council member Saeed Bhutta, Muhammad Nawaz and Zahid Iqbal Ghauri pledged to continue strike till the reinstatement of the chief justice.

Later, they took out a rally which started from district courts and ended at the same place after marching on GT Road.

On the other hand, MMA activists, led by district president Bilal Qudrat, held out a protest procession and expressed their solidarity with `non-functional’ chief justice.

They reached the district courts where lawyers welcomed them.