Following a protest demonstration and an attempt by the lawyers to access the Lahore High Court (LHC), riot police and lawyers clashed at Lahore’s GPO Chowk on Wednesday.
Police resisted the lawyers’ attempts to enter the high court by using water cannons, tear gas, and baton charges to scatter them.
When lawyers, including those from the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA), demanded the dismissal of a terror case brought against fellow lawyers and protested against the court’s relocation, violence broke out, according to Dawn.com correspondent Rana Bilal, who was on the scene.
The correspondent reported that several members of the press, law enforcement, and onlookers were also impacted by the police response, which resulted in the arrest and injuries of numerous lawyers.
The correspondent on the scene also reported that attempts at resolution of the standoff have so far failed in negotiations between the police and attorneys.
Inspector General Dr. Usman Anwar has been instructed by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to “refrain from using force against the lawyers.”
Attorneys must also settle their disputes with LHC in a civil manner. Confrontation should be avoided for the people of Lahore’s safety, she wrote in a post on X.
According to one of its members, Ahsan Bhoon, the Pakistan Bar Council has declared a statewide protest and called for a strike for tomorrow.
“On Thursday, attorneys will hold protests all over the nation,” Bhoon declared, adding that “no lawyer in the nation should appear in court tomorrow.”
LHCBA President: The protest will go on till demands are met.
LHCBA President Asad Butt told Dawn News that the attorneys will not stop protesting until their demands were fulfilled.
Butt added, “The police have inflicted cruelty by using force against a peaceful march,” pointing out that tear gas shelling had harmed scores of lawyers.
He insisted that all lawsuits brought against attorneys be dropped and that the division of courts promptly retract its notice.
Television images from earlier in the day showed a huge number of riot police and lawyers fighting, and GPO Chowk appeared to be covered in tear gas.
A detour has been put in place at High Court Chowk and Istanbul Chowk towards GPO Chowk, according to a post made by the Lahore Traffic Police on X at approximately 12:30 pm.
It also mentioned the presence of “additional contingent” and the Cantt deputy superintendent of police at the scene.
The head of Dawn News’ Lahore bureau, Muhammad Bilal, stated that all gates and roads leading to the Lahore High Court had been closed, preventing attorneys from accessing the court.
He stated that the lawyers were growing impatient with the police’s handling of them and that “those outside and trying to enter are being shelled and dispersed with baton charge and water cannons.”
He pointed out that a sizable police presence, including with water cannons and anti-riot personnel, had already arrived at the location because the LHCBA had advertised the event in advance.
“The rally was peaceful as it moved toward the court. As soon as the attorneys attempted to enter the court, the police started to intervene, according to the bureau chief, who called the circumstances “quite tense.”
A senior superintendent of police responded that the demonstrators had initially thrown stones at the officers and attempted to start a brawl when questioned about why the police had resorted to blasting the attorneys.
