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Thursday March 28, 2024

Lawyers continue protest throughout country

Daska killings...Attack Punjab Assembly building; set ablaze police post, ransack vehicles; observe complete strike in various cities; Kasur lawyers damage two vehicles, signboards; slain lawyers laid to rest

By our correspondents
May 27, 2015
LAHORE: Enraged lawyers kept protesting throughout the country for the second day on Tuesday against the killing of their two colleagues in Daska. The lawyers’ community took out rallies and offered Ghaibana Namaz-e-Janaza in different cities, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Quetta, Lahore and Peshawar.
In Lahore, the lawyers attacked the Punjab Assembly building, set ablaze a police post set up at the assembly’s main gate and ransacked a police mobile van. Lawyers also pelted the Punjab Assembly building with stones, attacked security officials in various parts of the city and blocked roads including The Mall. The provincial government has constituted a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the killings.
The judges of the Lahore High Court, lower judiciary and a large numbers of lawyers and civil society members offered Namaz-i-Janaza for the deceased lawyers on the LHC premises.
Meanwhile, lawyers refused to accept the Punjab government’s proposal for the constitution of a judicial inquiry commission to probe the Daska killings. They said criminals are known to everyone and under such circumstances, there is no need for forming a commission.
Later, the government decided to form a JIT to probe the matter. The Daska police also lodged an FIR No 550/2015, under PPC sections 302/324/148 and 7-ATA against the accused.
On the other hand, lawyers led by LHCBA President Pir Masood Chishti and Senior Vice President LBA Muhammad Jahangir Bhatti took out a rally from the Aiwan-e-Adl after holding a general house session, towards the Punjab Assembly. They locked the judges gate of the Lahore High Court on The Mall side and tried to lock the courtrooms.
Later, the rally reached the Charing Cross where lawyers burnt tyres. The lawyers threw stones at the Punjab Assembly building, damaging CCTV cameras. They set on fire the security shed of the PA where a police post was set up. Lawyers also climbed onto the wall of PA’s main gate but came down on the direction of their leaders.
Lawyers chanted slogans against the government and blocked The Mall. Traffic and business activities remained suspended at The Mall throughout the day. The lawyers also ransacked a police mobile van. They manhandled police officials and thrashed a driver of the Elite Force, while other police constables ran away from the scene to save their lives. Lawyers also tortured two cameramen of a local TV and a newspaper.
On the direction of the LHC Chief Justice Manzoor A Malik, a contingent of Rangers has been deployed at the Lahore High Court while police officials were also directed not to move in police uniform on court premises.
Correspondents/Agencies add: Lawyers on Tuesday held demonstrations in various cities of Punjab and other provinces of the country, observed a black day and held rallies against the killing of their two colleagues in Daska on Monday.
DASKA: Both of the slain lawyers, Rana Khalid Abbas, President Daska Bar Association, and Irfan Chohan, were laid to rest in their ancestral graveyards in the Daska Tehsil on Tuesday.
Rana Khalid was buried in his ancestral graveyard in village Seikhwaan Ghumaana-Daska, while Irfan Chohan was buried in village Chhaanga-Daska graveyard.
A large number of people from different walks of life including former governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, judges, Vice Chairman Pakistan Bar Council Azam Nazir, local MNA Ch Armughan Subhani, local MPAs, lawyers from across Punjab attended the funeral prayers.
Meanwhile, the Daska Bar Association meeting decided not to appear in courts for 15 days as protest against the killings.
MULTAN: Lawyers at district and high court bars here on Tuesday observed a complete strike and sit-in against the killing of two lawyers in Daska, and barred policemen from entering the premises.
Lawyers also announced a strike and a black day on Wednesday (today). The Multan High Court Bar Association has established a special fund to help the families of deceased lawyers after one month of fund collection drive. Black flags were hoisted outside the bar rooms while resolutions condemning the police brutality were also passed by the bar bodies.
DBA President Khalid Ashraf Khan said if the government did not take strict action against the guilty policemen, lawyers would go on strike for an indefinite period.
SIALKOT: During an emergency meeting of the District Bar Association (DBA), Sialkot, on Tuesday, presided over by DBA President Khawaja Awais Mushtaq, Advocate, the bar membership of Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif was suspended unanimously with an immediate effect for his alleged silence and no response on the tragic Daska incident on Monday.
In the meeting, immediate transfer of the Regional Police Officer (RPO), Gujranwala, Waqas Nazir, District Police Officer (DPO), Sialkot, Dr Asif Shahzad and Acting District Coordination Officer (DCO) Sialkot Adnan Awan was demanded.
KASUR: Hundreds of lawyers in Kasur, Chunian and Pattoki bars boycotted court proceedings and took to the streets against the Daska incident. The lawyers also banned the entry of police in bars of Kasur in future and warned of dire consequences. Lawyers ransacked two vehicles, signboards, flex board signs and damaged pots lying in the compound of DCO Office Complex.
Lawyers of three bars were already on strike from Monday against what they dubbed the untoward behaviour of the Kasur police that created a scene between the lawyers of Chunian bar and police on May 20. After the Daska incident, the DPO suspended SHO Kanganpur Muhammad Akram and SHO Allahabad Rana Azmat Hayat as they on May 21 registered three cases against lawyers on charges of allegedly thrashing and injuring a sub-inspector. The lawyers also blocked the traffic on the Ferozepur Road near the Kutchery Chowk. Lawyers in Pattoki staged a demo at the Kutchery Chowk and expressed solidarity with their colleagues of Daska.
ARIFWALA: Lawyers on Tuesday observed a complete strike against the killing of two lawyers in Daska. The lawyers boycotted the courts proceedings to register their protest. Later, the lawyers took out a rally against the Daska incident from the Courts Complex. The participants carrying banners and placards chanted slogans against the Punjab Police and demanded stern action against the cops who were involved in the incident. They also marched on the Highway Road and closed the Eastern Railway Crossing for traffic. The lawyer leaders addressed the protesters. Syed Ghulam Mujtaba Gilani presented a resolution against the accused cops, which was unanimously passed by the lawyers.
MUZAFFARGARH: On the call of the Pakistan Bar Council, lawyers belonging to Muzaffargarh, Jatoi, Alipur and Kot Addu on Tuesday observed a strike against the assassination of two lawyers in Daska. They boycotted court proceedings to condemn the police attack on lawyers in Daska. They also staged a demonstration, led by DBA President Sardar Muhammad Iqbal, at Chowk Kutchery. The lawyers wore black armbands and hoisted a black flag on the top of the bar room.
NANKANA SAHIB: Lawyers of the District Bar Association (DBA) on Tuesday observed a strike against the Daska incident. The lawyers boycotted court proceedings and offered funeral prayers in absentia for the murdered lawyers. Later, they took out a protest rally from bar room up to the Nankana Press Club. Addressing the participants, DBA president Rai Mahmood Kharral termed the Daska incident as the worst example of police brutality. He demanded an exemplary punishment for the killers.
JARANWALA: Lawyers of the tehsil bar observed a strike against the Daska incident on Tuesday. A meeting of the general house of the bar was held in the bar room. The meeting was addressed by advocates who condemned the police brutality and said the Punjab government had posted criminal and cruel DSPs and SHOs at police stations and other offices.
GUJRANWALA: Lawyers on Tuesday observed a strike against the killings of two lawyers in Daska.
They also took out a rally which culminated outside the DCO office. They also damaged the main gate of the office and chanted slogans against the police. The lawyers also offered funeral prayers in absentia at the sessions court for the lawyers who were killed by the police in Daska.
TOBA TEK SINGH: Lawyers took out rallies against the killings of two lawyers by the Daska police here and at Gojra, Kamalia and Pirmahal on Tuesday. The lawyers led by DBA president Asghar Chaudhry reached the Shahbaz Chowk and chanted slogans against the police. They also offered funeral prayers in absentia for the killed lawyers.
LALAMUSA: Lawyers on Tuesday observed a complete strike at Kharian and Gujrat to protest against the Daska incident in which two lawyers were killed by the police. Former Kharian Tehsil Bar Association secretary Nawazish Ali Sheikh said that the strike would continue for three days and the lawyers would stage a demonstration against the incident on Wednesday (today). The lawyers also staged a sit-in to condemn the murder of their colleagues in Daska.
BUREWALA: Lawyers of the Burewala Bar Association on Tuesday observed a complete strike and hoisted a black flag at the bar room to condemn the Daska incident.
Burewala Bar Association lawyers led by Bar president Chaudhry Ayaz Mahmood Ghumman took out the protest rally.
JAUHARABAD: Lawyers on Tuesday condemned the Daska police high-handedness. In this regard, a protest was also staged where lawyers raised slogans against the police and urged the higher authorities to take the notice of the situation. A complete strike was observed and no lawyer appeared in any court.
PAKPATTAN: Lawyers of the District Bar Association (DBA) expressed solidarity with their colleagues and observed a complete strike against the police brutality in Daska.
FAISALABAD: Rallies were taken out in various parts of the city and protesters chanted slogans against the police near the Civil Lines police station.
KARACHI: Work at different courts remained suspended here on Tuesday in response to a protest call given by the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) against the lawyers’ killing in Daska on Monday.
QUETTA: Lawyers boycotted courts across the Balochistan province on Tuesday to protest against the killing of their two colleagues in the Daska area of Punjab. Addressing a press conference here, Balochistan Bar Association (BBA) President Advocate Bilal Ahmad Kasi, accompanied by senior advocate Hadi Shakeel, ex-president of BBA Baz Muhammad Kakar and a large number of lawyers, strongly condemned the killing of two lawyers and declared that they stood by the victims’ families.