A law officer informed a division bench of the Lahore High Court(LHC) on Wednesday that the Punjab government would accept the demand of the Jhang lawyers for the transfer of the Jhang district police officer (DPO) Jhang and the cases against them on terrorism charges would be withdrawn. Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Asma Jahangir, Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) President Asghar Gill and about 150 lawyers were present at the court in support of the Jhang lawyers when the division bench was hearing the matter.
Assistant Advocate General (AAG) Shujjat Ali Khan told the court that the matter had been settled and it had been decided that DPO would be transferred to another station before Eid and the cases registered against the lawyers would be taken back. The division bench headed by Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed was hearing the case suo motu which had emanated from the police assaulting the Jhang lawyers in June while they were protesting the incidents of the robbing of lawyers and athe indifference of the DPO towards addressing this issue. A large number of lawyers were taken into custody during that wide ranging operation allegedly carried out on the instruction of the DPO. A case under the anti-terrorism act was registered against as many as 34 lawyers.
All of them have been released under bail by the court.
The court observed that the matter between the lawyers and the police has been settled but the litigants were still suffering on account of the lawyers’ strike. Upon addressing this issue in the court, the bar secretary told the court that the bar would call a general house meeting today (Wednesday) to decide on ending the strike.
Jhang lawyers win battle against police chief
