As the attorneys’ demonstration before the Lahore High Court at GPO Chowk grew more intense on Wednesday, police detained a few of them.
The attorneys are staging a protest against the separation of civil courts and the filing of terrorist cases against one another.
The Lahore High Court Bar Association has refuted reports that it held talks with law enforcement.
However, attorneys have ejected petitioners from Justice Anwar-ul-Haq Pannu’s courtroom.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Faisal Kamran told Geo News that while the police will continue to exercise caution, if there is a legal infraction from the lawyers, they will respond in accordance with the law.
He stated that the police were “showing maximum patience and restraint” and that they had only resorted to using tear gas when lawyers had started throwing stones at them.
He declared, “One of our SHO and one constable has been injured.”
According to DIG Operations, the high court is guarded by at least 2,000 people.
In order to have talks with the lawyers, DIG Operations Faisal has also arrived at GPO Chowk.
According to Munir Bhatti of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, the attorneys’ demands include the nation’s rule of law, the administration of justice, and an independent judiciary.
He insisted on the removal of court transfer notifications and seven Anti Terrorism Act (ATA) proceedings, saying, “We will see if there will be negotiations.”
Additionally, he stated that the attorneys would not return to the higher courts until the general assembly had met.
In order to protect themselves from police tear gas shelling, the attorneys are seated on the steps of the Orange Line station at the spot.
The GPO Chowk metro bus station has closed, and Mall Road traffic has been seriously impacted.
After police charged lawyers with batons earlier today, mayhem broke out in the area of the provincial high court.
By tearing down the barriers surrounding the court’s property and hurling stones at the police, the lawyers staging the demonstration attempted to gain entry.
In the meantime, the lawyers were being dispersed and their path to the main gate of the court was being obstructed by police artillery and baton charges.
To prevent the attorneys from continuing, the cops are also deploying water cannons.
A sizable police presence has been stationed at the Lahore High Court’s judges’ gate, and two of the lawyers who were protesting have also been taken into custody.
The flow of traffic on Mall Road and the nearby roads has also been significantly impacted.
The police have advised the two to three dozen attorneys who are peacefully demonstrating outside the court not to proceed. However, the cops threatened to make an arrest if the attorneys used violence throughout the process.
A day before, the local government was informed about the protestors’ behavior, but no officials showed up at the location to speak with the attorneys.
Conversely, the attorneys are chanting anti-police slogans and are adamant about being permitted to access the court’s premises.
The judges and other attorneys are present in the courtrooms in the interim, but nothing is getting done.
The lawyers who were protesting had intended to stage their demonstration outside the chief justice’s office of the LHC. However, police prevented the lawyers from entering the building out of concern that they could attempt to impose their own laws.
Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz has instructed the protestors to “amicably” settle their disputes with the Lahore High Court and has requested the inspector general of Punjab Police to “refrain from using force” against the lawyers.
“For the safety of the citizens of Lahore, confrontation should be avoided,” requested the chief minister.
The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has called for a strike in response to the rallies in Lahore against the police action against the attorneys.
Attorneys nationwide are scheduled to abstain from court attendance tomorrow, according to Ahsan Bhoon. In support of the lawyers in Lahore, he also said, demonstrations will be held around the nation.
The lawyers’ leadership, meanwhile, insisted that they only had two requests and that attorneys are not terrorists.
“[We] will go on strike and issue a call for lawyers from all over the country to gather in Lahore,” declared the lawyers’ leadership.
However, the vice chairman of PBC stated that this problem had existed for a “long time.”
In Pakistan, a nationwide strike has been declared for the entire day, he said.
“Protesters cleared from GPO Chowk”
DIG Activities According to Faisal, the lawyers have been scattered by the police and are not now permitted to assemble. “Provocateurs are being taken into custody.”
In addition, he denied holding Bhoon.
“Protesters have been removed from GPO Chowk, and obstacles have been removed to allow for the restoration of traffic flow on Mall Road,” he stated.
The Karachi Bar Association will not attend court tomorrow.
In response to the LHC protest, the Karachi Bar Association declared that tomorrow, May 9, they would boycott courts.
It denounced the way the police “beat up” and attacked the nonviolent demonstrators in front of LHC with tear gas.
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