Chaos erupted at the GPO Chowk on Wednesday as a lawyer-led rally escalated into a showdown with the law enforcement amid reports of brewing internal strife within the Lahore High Court (LHC).
The rally, held in protest against the proposed relocation of civil courts from Aiwan-e-Adl to Model Town and the filing of FIRs against several lawyers under anti-terrorism charges, took a dramatic turn as participants attempted to storm the LHC premises.
In response, the police resorted to baton charges, tear gas, and water cannons to quell the unrest, with dozens of lawyers under arrest.
Violence broke out when lawyers, including members of the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA), insisted on the withdrawal of a terrorism case against their colleagues and voiced opposition to relocating a court to a new site.
According to reports, numerous lawyers were apprehended and injured during police intervention, with collateral effects on members of the press, law enforcement personnel, and bystanders.
Despite attempts at negotiation, discussions between the police and lawyers proved futile in resolving the standoff.
In the meantime, the Punjab Bar Council (PBC) and Sindh Bar Council (SBC) declared a province-wide strike by all lawyers and bar associations on May 9 (today) following clashes with the Lahore police.
The incident has also stirred up varied perceptions regarding LHC Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan and the legal fraternity.
Some lawyers attributed Wednesday's setback to internal discord within the legal community over this matter, while others alleged that law enforcement deliberately orchestrated the situation to tarnish CJ Khan's reputation.
They pointed out CJ Khan's recent letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), calling for an increase in tribunal judges from two to eight to handle complaints arising from the 2024 general elections.
CJ Khan had expressed strong dissatisfaction with the ECP for not considering six names he had proposed for tribunal judgeship. Furthermore, critics from the anti-PTI lobby within the legal is seizing upon the issue to besmirch CJ Khan's name.
Controversy
However, some lawyers offered an alternative perspective, alleging that the Punjab police were manipulated by the Punjab government to curry favour with CJ Khan, as the government sought to secure future favours from him.
However, a handful of lawyers dismissed these notions, asserting that the legal community appeared more assertive than in previous demonstrations under the tenure of former Chief Justice LHC Muhammad Ameer Bhatti who had actually ordered the relocation of courts to Model Town Kacheri.
The lawyers highlighted two primary reasons for their agitation. Firstly, there was a division among lawyers on this issue. Secondly, there were significant reservations among lawyers regarding the conduct of the current LHC Chief Justice, Malik Muhammad Shahzad Khan.
These concerns stem from his tenure as a senior puisne judge when a legal matter gained public attention, as well as the recent disciplinary action he imposed as CJ LHC against a lawyer.
The lawyers asserted that their bar representatives had engaged in multiple rounds of discussions with both CJ Khan and former CJ Ameer Bhatti. However, despite assurances, the issues remained unresolved. The oppressive measures against lawyers persisted, and the matter of court relocation remained unresolved.
While staging rallies against court relocation wasn't unprecedented – lawyers had done so during former CJ Bhatti's tenure – the severity of the current situation was unprecedented.
On May 7, LBA President Munir Hussain Bhatti, alongside other bar representatives, declared a rally for May 8, stretching from Aiwan-e-Adl to LHC.
They announced the formation of five shadow cabinets, asserting that the cause of the lawyers should persist even if they face arrest.
On Wednesday morning, heavy police contingents were stationed at various points around the LHC and its surroundings. Police units were also positioned inside the LHC, particularly along routes leading to CJ's courts, which were sealed off.
As representatives from the Lahore Bar Association led a rally with hundreds of lawyers towards GPO Chowk in an attempt to enter the LHC premises, police officials resorted to baton charges.
Moreover, tear gas shells were fired, and water cannons were deployed to disperse the lawyers.
Later, LBA President Munir Hussain Bhatti and Punjab Bar Council Vice Chairman Kamran Bashir Mughal held talks with senior police officials, assuring them that their protest was peaceful and devoid of any weapons.
They also guaranteed that no violence would occur if they were permitted to enter the premises. However, despite their efforts, the police refused to grant them access to the court premises.
As tensions escalated, skirmishes between the police and lawyers broke out intermittently from morning until noon, resulting in injuries to several lawyers and police officers. Subsequently, a dozen lawyers were arrested.
Meanwhile, within the confines of the LHC, the lawyers persisted in their protest against CJ Khan. They began urging fellow lawyers to withdraw from court proceedings in support of the legal fraternity's cause until the issues were addressed.
By evening, the situation had returned to normalcy, with traffic flow on The Mall Road being restored.
PBC demands IG Punjab’s resignation
In the evening, Kamran Bashir Mughal, the Vice Chairman of the Punjab Bar Council, called for the resignation of the Inspector General Police (IGP) Punjab and the DIG Investigations, accusing them of instigating chaos and mistreating lawyers.
He cautioned the authorities, stating that if the police continued to file FIRs against lawyers, the entire justice system would grind to a halt.
Mughal announced that the Punjab Bar Council would observe a nationwide strike on May 9 in protest against the mistreatment of lawyers.
LBA President Munir Hussain Bhatti alleged that the entire episode was orchestrated by the Punjab government to seek favour frpm CJ Khan. He warned that if the arrested lawyers were not released within the next hour, lawyers would stage a sit-in protest in front of CJ Khan's residence.
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