Mocking the law

Asma Jahangir has devoted her life to defending the most vulnerable among us – women, minorities and those who are marginalised in society. For doing so – and doing so very effectively – she has earned more than her fair share of enemies. This was highlighted earlier this week when a group of 60-70 lawyers showed up at the Lahore High Court to assault and intimidate her legal team and chant the most vile curses against Asma. The case they had to come disrupt was typical of the kind Asma fights. She and her associates were representing Bilquis Zareena, whose daughter Ayesha and grandson Alyan Ali have gone missing. Bilquis says Ayesha was married to Pakistan Bar Council member Maqsood Buttar and that he had a history of assaulting her. She fears her daughter may not be alive, and has been trying to get the LHC to locate her. The mob attacked an associate of Asma Jahangir, and tore his shirt off. Zareena herself was also manhandled. Through all of this, the sitting judge did not utter a single word stopping the lawyers from make a mockery of the law.

This is far from the first time the legal community has shown no respect for the law, their profession or the sanctity of the courtroom. Whenever a lawyer is accused of wrongdoing you can rely on lawyers to prefer mob justice to rule of law. This year alone, when the son of a renowned lawyer was accused of repeatedly stabbing a fellow student he was able to accept from a courtroom with the help of other lawyers. When a judge was accused of torturing a minor girl working for him as a maid, he had the complete support of the legal fraternity. The lawyers who turned violent against Asma’s associates are believed to be politically connected and prominent in the bar. The things they said and did should ideally lead to strict disciplinary action. But, as we have seen before as well, the legal community takes care of its own. That Asma is not representing the wealthy and politically connected makes it even more difficult for her and her client to get justice. For too long, lawyers have used their power to escape accountability. Their loathsome attacks on Asma Jahangir and her team should be the last straw for anyone who wants justice in the country.