Zubair Qureshi
Lawyers community—members of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) and the Islamabad District Bar Association (IDBA) and also lawyers from the Rawalpindi bar—on Saturday took out a protest rally from the Islamabad district courts to D-Chowk in solidarity with their colleagues who were arrested by police last Monday (Feb 8) after they stormed the Islamabad High Court building and virtually took the Chief Justice hostage. They were chanting slogans for the release of lawyers and gave the authorities a 48-hours ultimatum to accept their demands.
In case they don’t release our colleagues, we shall return to the D-Chowk and stage a sit-in for an indefinite period, they threatened.
The rally conducted by Islamabad Bar Council originated from Islamabad District Courts and consisted of lawyers from the twin-cities. It began from Jinnah Avenue and reached D-Chowk with lawyers chanting slogans on the occasion. Lawyers demanded that the arrested lawyers be released and FIRs against them be withdrawn. They have also asked for the demolished chambers to be rebuilt. They said that if their demands are not met within 48 hours, they will gather at D-Chowk once again and announce the next course of action.
On Thursday, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) had turned down the plea for lawyers’ release and sent four arrested lawyers to Adiala Jail on judicial remand in the case pertaining to the attack on the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
The police produced the nominated lawyers in the FIR – including Zafar Ali Waraich, Naveed Malik, Sheikh Shoaib and Nazia Bibi – before the court.
Meanwhile, taking notice of the lawyers’ protest and long-standing demand of allocation of land for district courts, the District Magistrate of Islamabad has made it clear that the land for the Judicial Complex and the lawyers’ complex had already been allocated by the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
In a letter addressed to the President of the IHC Bar Association Chaudhry Haseeb, the letter says “PC-1 of the judicial complex is under finalization through ministry of law & justice. Besides, the whole process is being followed up by the Ministry of Law & Justice for quick completion of the processes involved, the letter further says. The Ministry of Law & Justice has paid more than Rs108.900 million to the ICT as total cost of land in Sector G-10/1 for the land measuring five acres for construction of the ICT building and the lawyer’s chambers in 2008. However, so far no further action has taken place regarding.
