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LAHORE: Lawyers protest turned violent on Wednesday after members of the Lahore Bar Association (LBA) staged a demonstration against the proposed division of civil courts and terrorism charges against Lawyers.
Efforts by lawyers to enter the high court were met with resistance from police, who used batons, tear gas, and water cannons to disperse them. According to Dawn.com, violence erupted as lawyers, including those from Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA), demanded the withdrawal of terrorism charges against their colleagues and opposed the relocation of a court.
Several lawyers were arrested and injured in the police action, with some members of the press, law enforcement, and bystanders also affected. The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) strongly condemned the police’s handling of the protest and urged Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa to intervene.
The SCBA criticized Lahore High Court Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan for failing to resolve the issue despite appeals from the Bar, stating that the arrests violated democratic principles, freedom of expression, and the right to dissent.