MULTAN, Oct 25: Members of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, Multan bench, on Saturday did not allow Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) nominated acting-president to assume charge of the bar office.

The PBC had appointed Syed Athar Hassan Bokhari acting president after removing bar president Mehmood Ashraf Khan on Friday.

According to a notification issued by the PBC, Bokhari would also perform his duties as presiding officer for the elections of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) in Multan. It also de-notified the appointment of presiding officer Rafique Rijwana for his allegedly arranging a feast in honour of one of the presidential candidates.

Accompanied by members of the People’s Lawyers Forum led by provincial general-secretary Alyas Khan, Bokhari when reached the high court building, where he was also scheduled to address a press conference, he found lawyers of Ashraf Group guarding the entry gate, compelling him to return. Bokhari later went to the local press club to address a press conference.

Talking to reporters, Bokhari said that the PBC had suspended the licences of bar president Ashraf Khan and general-secretary Rana Naveed Ahmed and he had not only been appointed the acting president but the presiding officer for the SCBA elections as well.

He said that he had issued notice to freeze the bank accounts of the bar association and had convened a meeting of the executive body.

He said that lawyers’ convention scheduled to be held on Oct 27 had been postponed due to the SCBA elections.

He said that he believed in adopting peaceful methods to resolve differences among bar members and the restoration of the dignity and respect of bar associations, beginning right from tehsil bar associations up to the SCBA and the PBC.

Earlier, addressing a press conference at the barroom, bar president Ashraf Khan, general-secretary Naveed and other office-bearers said that nobody had the authority to remove the lawyers’ elected representatives and the PBC had committed what they called “a shameful act”.

They said that few opportunists had taken the PBC hostage to disgrace the supreme institutions of lawyers’ community.

Ashraf Khan said that he was an elected representative and only members of the bar could remove him through a vote.

He said that he was not going to any court against the PBC decision as the council had no authority to remove him besides the lawyers did not have faith in PCO judges.

He said that lawyers’ convention would be held on Oct 27 to finalise plans to observe Nov 3 as black day.

On Oct 8, the PBC had suspended licences of the president and secretary-general of the bar for allegedly misbehaving with Attorney-General Latif Khan Khosa, who is also chairman of the council.

On Oct 6, Khosa, thrice elected as president of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, Multan bench, was compelled to leave the barroom amid heated for and against sloganeering and the ensuing scuffle among two groups of lawyers.

Later, the association barred Khosa’s entry to the high court building for allegedly taking a stance detrimental to the lawyers’ cause.

On Oct 20, the PBC appointed Rijwana, a former senator, as presiding officer in place of Ashraf Khan to conduct the SCBA elections.