CDA action against ‘illegal’ law chambers: Lawyers' rampage shuts IHC, courts

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) and all lower courts in the federal capital territory were closed after lawyers went on the rampage at the Islamabad Judicial Complex following demolition of their ‘illegal’ chambers.

The angry lawyers smashed windowpanes of Chief Justice’s block of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) also, after the CDA demolished all ‘illegal’ chambers, set up on the premises of the district and sessions courts in Islamabad.

The judges of IHC, including Chief Justice Athar Minallah, were forced to confine themselves to their chambers when the lawyers turned violent. They chanted slogans against the IHC CJ and also clashed with journalists, who had reached there for coverage of the violent protest. Sources said the Special Security Unit was not present when the lawyers started their protest.

Lawyers, litigants and other staff members of the IHC were barred from going in and coming out of the building at the time of the protest. All the roads leading to and from the IHC building were also closed for traffic.

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani of the IHC asked lawyers to come, sit and talk on the subject matter. He also asked lawyers to withdraw their colleague from the chambers of the IHC CJ, so that they could hold talks.

Justice Kiyani said he should be given names of the arrested lawyers and “I will order the SP to release them”. He lamented that lawyers caused "double trouble" by attacking the high court chief justice's chambers.

Proceedings in the district courts as well as in the IHC were suspended and petitioners were stopped from entering the buildings. "We are trying to get this resolved in half an hour," Islamabad District Commissioner Hamza Shafaat, who had arrived at the scene, said in an informal conversation with journalists. Islamabad police chief Qazi Jamilur Rehman and Interior Secretary Yousuf Naseem Khokhar also arrived at the site.

After entering the IHC building and rioting outside the chief justice's chambers, lawyers presented six demands including immediate release of arrested lawyers, rebuilding of all chambers that were taken down by the administration, and paying Rs500,000 per chamber in compensation, Transfer of Islamabad district commissioner, superintendent of police and sessions judge concerned from the capital. Until the transfer of district courts, chambers for young lawyers should be built on the remaining land of a football ground in Sector F-8, ten-acre land be allocated for lawyers' chambers in the area where the district courts were being shifted.

Separately, IHC Bar Association President Haseeb Chaudhry said both lawyers and the administration would have to go to see the chief justice of Pakistan. He said all lawyers, who were arrested, had been released.

The lawyers said they "will not talk until our chambers are restored". They also claimed that some of their colleagues were still in detention. He asked lawyers to submit their demands and assured them that he would get them fulfilled.

"The damage done to the IHC building today is my loss," he said while addressing lawyers. "If you cause a ruckus like this, then don't complain that our president is not with us." Meanwhile, a notice was issued by IHC Bar Association Secretary Suhail Akbar Chaudhry, announcing a strike and saying that not only will the body protest against the "injustice", it will also take "strict action, if needed".

"All bar members are informed that Islamabad district administration and the CDA have cruelly taken down chambers of young lawyers," the notice read. "The Islamabad High Court Bar Association will not remain quiet on this cruelty and injustice and will not only protest against [it] on every forum but will take strict action if needed.

"In this regard, the IHCBA is going on a strike. Young lawyers should be compensated for their loss and no lawyer will appear in any IHC bench; strict action will be taken against lawyers who appear in courts."

Later on, the police lodged the first information report (FIR) against more than 21 lawyers, allegedly involved in violent protests against the CDA operation to remove encroachments in the district courts area.

Heavy contingent of police, Rangers and other law-enforcement agencies reached the scene along with top bosses of police and the district administration later on and tried to control the situation.

Many people were shifted to hospitals during the clash. The proceedings of contempt of court against lawyers responsible for the clash and ransack, have separately been initiated, the IHC and police said. A reference for cancellation of their licences would be referred to the Islamabad Bar Council shortly.