Lawyers announce countrywide strike after Lahore clash

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) announced a country-wide strike on Thursday against police action on lawyers in Lahore, ARY News reported.

In a statement issued here, PBC Vice Chairman Riazat Ali Sahar condemned the police ‘violence’ against lawyers in Lahore, terming it a ‘brutal attack’ on the legal fraternity.

He said that the police ‘brutally’ tortured the lawyers while many of them have been arrested. He said that under the constitution, every individual has the right to peaceful protest.

“The police brutality of Punjab police against lawyers cannot be ignored,” the PBC vice chairman added. Riazat Ali Sahar said that Punjab police’s barbaric behavior has ‘damaged’ the dignity of the legal fraternity.

The PBC vice chairman announced that lawyers will not appear in courts across the country to show solidarity with their colleagues in Lahore.

The PBC also demanded the authorities concerned to take action against police officials involved in what it termed brutality against lawyers.

Earlier in the day, several lawyers arrested whereas three cops have been injured as clashes erupted between lawyers and police during a protest outside Lahore High Court (LHC),

The lawyers in Lahore staged a protest outside the Lahore High Court against the transfer of civil courts to Model Town court however the protest turned violent when police tried to disperse the protesting lawyers.

The Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court had ordered the relocation of courts, whereas the lawyers announced to protest against the move.

The protest started when lawyers were not allowed to enter the Chief Justice’s chamber. The police used batons, tear gas, and water cannons to control the protesters, resulting in several lawyers and police officials being injured in the clashes.