Lawyers-police row ends in Shangla

SHANGLA: The dispute between the lawyers of the Shangla Bar Association and the police was successfully resolved after a week through a local jirga.

Following the reconciliation, the Bar Association announced an end to its boycott of all courts across the district. The conflict arose last Thursday when a physical altercation between lawyers and traffic police at Alpuri Chowk was caught on video and went viral. Following the incident, the District Police Officer (DPO) ordered the registration of cases against three lawyers at Alpuri Police Station. In response, the Shangla Bar Association announced a complete boycott of all courts, including magistrate courts, and launched protests, including a sit-in outside the DPO office.

The matter soon gained attention at higher legal forums, with the Dar-ul-Qaza High Court Mingora Bench Association, the District Bar Swat, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council, and the Islamabad Bar Association condemning the case against the lawyers. These legal bodies termed the FIR as one-sided and baseless, pledging to take up the issue at a higher level.

For a week, all legal proceedings in Shangla remained suspended due to the ongoing boycott. However, a breakthrough was achieved on Thursday through the efforts of Deputy Commissioner Shangla and local elders, who successfully mediated between the two parties.