Staff Reporter
Lahore
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday ordered to not prosecute guiltless lawyers, but vowed proceedings and investigations against “whoever has sinned” during the clash between the doctors and lawyers at the Pakistan Institute of Cardiology (PIC) in Lahore on December 11.
Meanwhile, a bench headed by Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi sought personal appearance of the Punjab chief secretary, home secretary and the inspector general of police (IGP) in today’s hearing on petitions against ‘reckless’ arrests of lawyers in the wake of attack on the PIC.
The petitions sought the release of lawyers, restraining police from torture, implicating in false cases and harassing them after the tragic incident. Pakistan Bar Council member Ahsan Bhoon appeared to represent the legal fraternity of lawyers, and argued that the arrested lawyers were subjected to torture by police, and their faces were covered with black veils when they were produced in the court for remand.
Mr Bhoon meant that the lawyers were humiliated and some of the lawyers sitting at Race Course Park, Lahore, were also arrested and tortured. “An apology has been made to the general public [over the incident],” he added. On Dec. 16, Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta of anti-terrorism court (ATC) sent eight more lawyers to judicial remand in the same incident.
Speaking to media, vice president of Supreme Court bar Ghulam Murtaza Chaudhry and lawyer Zaheer Anayat Malik said that police presented eight lawyers but failed to provide any investigation report. The police sought physical remand of the accused lawyers. However, the court rejected the physical remand of lawyers, and instead granted judicial remand. They further told the media that bail pleas were filed and the court after issuing notices to the parties adjourned the hearing till Tuesday.
