LHC orders arrest of Multan bar president amid lawyers protest

LAHORE: Amidst protest by lawyers pressing for withdrawal of a contempt of court case against Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) Multan chapter president, a larger bench of LHC directed Multan police to ensure his arrest by Sept 08.

The larger bench of LHC headed by Chief Justice Mansoor Ali Shah was hearing the contempt of court case against LHCBA Multan president Sher Zaman Qureshi.

During the hearing, Multan Regional Police Officer (RPO) told the judges that the police conducted a number of raids to arrest the bar president but to no avail. Qureshi was present during the meeting of LHCBA but the police avoided arresting him there for they feared clash with lawyers. Efforts were underway to arrest him, he said.

While adjourning the hearing of the matter, the court directed the RPO to ensure implementation of non-bailable warrants for the arrest of Qureshi and produce him in the court on Sept 08.

Meanwhile, lawyers observed boycott of courts and wore black armbands in protest against Lahore police for firing teargas shells and water cannon on lawyers who had gathered to protest against the issuance of warrant against Qureshi.

A large number of Rangers and police personnel were deployed on the premises of the court to avoid any untoward incident.

A day before, protesting lawyers went on rampage, turning the Mall Road in Lahore outside LHC into a virtual battlefield as police fired teargas shells and water cannon on stone-throwing lawyers who protested issuance of arrest warrants against their colleague.

Enraged lawyers pelted stones on the personnel of anti-riot police unit, forcing them to fire tear gas shells and water cannons to scatter them.

Earlier on July 24, Sher Zaman had misbehaved with a member of the high court’s Multan bench, Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan, which draw a sharp rebuke from the chief justice who took serious notice of the incident and withdraw judges from the Multan bench.