The District Courts (Aiwan-i-Adl) of Lahore became a battlefield on October 1, when the police resorted to baton-charge and teargas shelling to disperse angry members of the Lahore Bar Association (LBA), who were protesting for the transfer of a District and Sessions Judge.
Meanwhile, LBA placed a lifetime entry ban on Chief Justice Lahore High Court Khawaja Sharif, besides placing a temporary ban on many others including some prominent leaders of lawyers' movement for restoration of sacked judges. After the decision of LBA, 29 judges from Multan have reportedly submitted their resignations to the District and Sessions Judge to express solidarity with the Chief Justice of Lahore High Court.
In addition, Chief Justice Ifikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had taken a suo-motu notice of the incident, wherein 'as per reports of the print/electronic media, the police entered the court premises including bar rooms and library and brutally beaten the lawyers resulting in injuries to many, including females,' said the statement issued by the court.
In the backdrop of police torture, PBC executive committee held a meeting and called for a countrywide strike. Muhammad Kazim Khan, Vice Chairman and Chaudhry Muhammad Nasrullah Warraich, Chairman, Executive Committee of the PBC condemned use of tear gas, baton charge and torture of lawyers by police, who were 'peacefully' protesting for the transfer of Zawar Ahmed Shaikh, District and Sessions Judge, Lahore.
The PBC also expressed its strong reservations against inaction of the Judiciary to transfer the disputed District and Sessions Judge, Lahore for his humiliating attitude towards lawyers against whom the entire local Bar was constantly protesting for the last couple of months, the statement added.
In addition, the PBC has demanded registration of criminal cases against all the responsible Police officials and initiation of criminal proceedings against them. What it called as malafide on the part of Punjab government, the PBC severely criticised the imposition of Section 144 of Cr.PC. within one-kilometer radius of the Lahore High Court and the Lahore Bar Association banning all kinds of rallies and gatherings.