The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sent contempt notices to lawyers after they barged into the court premises and vandalized it two days earlier. On Monday, lawyers in Islamabad violently protested the demolition of their chambers by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) at the Islamabad judicial complex.
Lawlessness on Rise: Lawyers apparently shout to IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah in his chamber today. pic.twitter.com/3DZPBr5a8x
— Zahid Gishkori (@ZahidGishkori) February 8, 2021
A mob of lawyers smashed windows in the chief justice block, chanting slogans outside the IHC Chief Justice’s office. The CDA had on Sunday night demolished illegal chambers set up by lawyers in the premises of the district and sessions court in Islamabad.
وکلا تنظیموں نے وکلا کے خلاف درج مقدمات واپس لینے اور اسلام آباد کے ڈپٹی کمشنر حمزہ شفقات کا تبادلہ کرنے کا بھی مطالبہ کیا،#Lawyers #IslamabadHighCourt #Islamabad #LawyersProtest #DAWNNEWS
مزید پڑھیں:https://t.co/4VtGW1rtr2— DawnNews (@Dawn_News) February 10, 2021
Analysts are of the view that since Bar Councils always stand by these lawyers, there won’t be a strong action against them.
Dr. Moeed Pirzada, a prominent anchorperson, recently noted that the problem lies in Pakistan’s education system. “In Pakistan law is,” Dr. Pirzada noted “mostly debated as sections and sub-sections of statutory law or articles of the constitution”. He explained that: “Smartness lies in giving new meaning to these sections and sub-sections or reinterpreting past judgments. A country of 220 million does not have proper law colleges and practitioners of law are hired as faculty for the outfits that function as law colleges.”
Read more: Time to teach Law to Lawyers
He lamented that “there is no real concept of legal academia. Pakistan has no legal researchers, writers or jurists and whatever has been produced in the last 70 plus years has not created an impact in the world”.
Case registered against protesting lawyers
A case was later registered against the lawyers and raids were conducted to arrest the lawyers named in the FIR.
The FIR was registered against 300 lawyers, but 22 lawyers were named in the FIR under terrorism provisions. The spokesperson said some lawyers attacked the chief justice’s block and vandalised it and contempt of court proceedings have been initiated against them.
The IHC stated that it had sent a reference to the Islamabad Bar Council to suspend the licenses of the lawyers who were involved in the protest.
The spokesperson also clarified that the IHC and district courts carried out their regular work, refuting media reports that the IHC and district courts had been closed indefinitely.
Read more: Protesting Lawyers thrashed Minister Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan
It was clarified that the Islamabad Bar Council (IBA), Islamabad High Court Bar Association and District Bar Association had announced a strike and to avoid inconvenience to the general public and lawyers, the cause lists were cancelled for only one day.
‘Take strict action against those involved in hooliganism’
On Tuesday, 70 legal practitioners issued a statement under their signatures condemning the vandalism at the offices of IHC CJ block.
They said attack on the court building was actually an attack on the base of the legal profession and demanded the Islamabad Bar Council take strict action against those involved in hooliganism.