LAHORE: Lawyers all over the country are country are observing a strike today to pressurise the court to take back its arrest orders for Sher Zaman Qureshi.
Protests are going on in Multan as well. Karachi Bar Council has planned a major rally at MA Jinnah Road in the afternoon.
All entrances to the LHC building have been blocked with containers. And a heavy contingent of Police has been deployed.
Police have been directed by the LHC to arrest and produce the lawyers’ association leader in court by September 8.
A larger bench, headed by LHC Chief Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, gave these orders on Tuesday while hearing a contempt of court case against Sher Zaman Qureshi, head of the bar association of LHC Multan bench, and another lawyer Qaiser Abbas Kazmi.
After the Lahore High Court (LHC) issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Multan Bar President Sher Zaman and Secretary Qaiser Abbas, in a contempt of court case, on Monday, protesting lawyers began creating a ruckus outside the court, according to reports. A group of Multan bar lawyers damaged public property, broke the gates which the chief justice was supposed to use, and also broke the walkthrough gates.
They tortured a policeman and then blocked the Mall Road in protest. Mall Road around the LHC looked like a battleground, with lawyers pelting stones at the policemen, and the policemen using water cannons to disperse the crowd.
The protesters demanded the court to take back its orders for the arrest of Sher Zaman Qureshi and Qaiser Abbas, as well as the revoking of their licenses. The larger bench of the LHC had also declared the two to be ineligible to appear in any court of the province.
According to details, however, Sher Zaman Qureshi managed to escape on a motorcycle.
Police are searching for Qureshi but have still been unable to trace him. Qureshi’s brother and nephew have been arrested by the police, however, in a bid to pressure him to give himself up.
On July 24, Multan Bar President Sher Zaman and Qaiser Abbas had behaved rudely with Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan during the proceedings of a case. The chief justice took notice of the incident and withdrew judges from the Multan Bench of the Lahore High Court. On July 26, the LHC chief justice restored the functioning of the Multan Bench.
