LAHORE, May 20 (APP): All Pakistan lawyers’ representative
convention, organised by the Lahore High Court Bar Association
(LHCBA) to decide the future course of action about the demand
for prime minister’s resignation in the wake of Panama Papers
verdict, was marred by commotion on Saturday.
Lawyers were divided into two groups, anti- and pro-PM, and
they raised slogans and counter slogans to support their stance.
During the ruckus, some lawyers also broke the window-panes of the
hall where the convention was being held. The police reached at
the scene but did not interfere.
The disturbance continued for more than two hours after
which the anti-PM group, led by Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA)
President Rashid A Rizvi, moved to the GPO Chowk and staged a
protest demonstration there.
The commotion started even before the beginning of the
convention when a pro-PM lawyers’ group, led by PML-N Lawyers Forum
President Naseer A Bhutta and their like-minded bar representatives,
reached the venue and took control of the stage/ rostrum and started chanting slogans in favour of the prime minister.
Talking to the media, Naseer A Bhutta said that the convention, organised by the LHCBA, was illegal and the lawyers came there from
across the country to condemn it.
He said that the Pakistan Bar Council had already settled the
issue by holding a convention in this regard and now there was no
excuse for such an assembly.
He said that the lawyers never participated in any conspiracy
during the democratic period and they always launched movements
against dictators.
Supreme Court Bar Executive Committee Member Javaid Meer
held the SCBA president and suspended secretary responsible
for divide among the lawyers. He mentioned that the SCBA
executive committee had disassociated itself from the present
convention in a meeting held earlier.
Later, talking to the media, President SCBA Rashid A Rizvi
condemned the PML-N Lawyers’ Forum and their like-minded
representatives for their action at the convention.
It may be mentioned here that the LHCBA, along with some
members of the SCBA, had organised the convention to gain lawyers’
support for their demand about prime minister’s resignation in
the wake of Panama case verdict.
However, Pakistan Bar Council, majority of Supreme Court
Bar Executive Committee members, factions of Lahore Bar
Association and other lawyers’ representative bodies opposed the
demand.