PIC riot case: LHC's Justice Ali Baqir terms lawyers' attack as law of jungle

The hearing was adjourned till Dec 16.

LAHORE (Dunya News) – The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday heard the PIC riot lawsuit, and Justice Ali Baqir Najafi termed the unfortunate attack on the hospital by lawyers as a culture of the jungle.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Ali Baqir Najafi heard four petitions seeking release of arrested lawyers involved in the attack on Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) on Dec 11.

Advocate Azam Nazir Tarar presented his arguments stating that police have no authority to torture anyone, and it is not like they have come to fight a war against India.

Justice Ali Baqir Najafi expressed anger and asserted that the defendants surely have come to fight a war. “How dare you attack a hospital?”, remarked Justice Najafi. Justice Anwarul Haq asked the arrested lawyers to justify their actions, and added what if bar council was in the place of PIC, what steps must have been taken for them?

Responding to this, advocate Tarar stated: “We have condemned the incident on TV programs”. To which LHC’s judge said if advocate Tarar really considers it an incident. “You have no idea from what we all are suffering after hearing about this act,” he added.

Advocate Tarar continued saying that they do not have a bar leader who could have explained the incident. He also said that licenses of accused lawyers will be suspended.

Justice Najafi remarked that the bar council have black sheep in their flock. “The law of the jungle does not civilize a society, and what you have done is a culture of the jungle,” he said, adding that they will give a justifying verdict as they have taken the oath to protect the law.

The court sought a report from the CCPO on the arrest of the lawyers and ordered them to implement the decision regarding medical examination of the accused. The hearing was adjourned till Dec 16.

PIC riot

On Dec 11, a violent clash that erupted between hundreds of lawyers and doctors left three patients dead when the charged lawyers stormed into the Punjab Institute of Cardiology and broke windows of the emergency ward and several vehicles parked nearby.

Lawyers went “out of control” while holding batons and sticks and broke the emergency gate of the PIC.

Provincial Information and Culture Minister Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan was also beaten by lawyers when he tried to persuade them from “taking the law into their own hands.”

ATC sends lawyers to jail on judicial remand

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) Thursday sent eight arrested lawyers - who had yesterday stormed into the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) amid protest that turned violent - to jail on judicial remand for 14 days.

ATC Judge Abdul Qayyum Khan presided over the PIC riot case where scores of arrested lawyers were produced before the court amid tight security measures with their face covered.

The government lawyer requested 15-day physical remand of the accused, while the lawyers’ attorney opposed the physical remand and said that the lawyers are innocent and were arrested by the police.

The defendants’ lawyer claimed that the police tortured the accused and requested for a medical examination. The court sent eight lawyers to jail on judicial remand while rest of the 38 were asked to give up their identity and present before the court again on Dec 17.

Meanwhile, detained lawyers, including advocate Tayyab Rasool, Ali Raza and Umar Ghafoor, filed bail pleas in the court.

Rangers deployed to maintain law and order

On Dec 11, Punjab Home Department has approved the deployment of Rangers at key locations of the province to maintain the law and order situation of Lahore.

According to Dunya News, a notification has been issued by the Ministry of Interior to maintain the law and order in Punjab. The notification stated that the Rangers troops have been deployed with immediate effect till request of de-requisition.

They have been deployed at Governor House, G.O.R I and II (both side), Punjab Assembly, GPO Chowk at Mall Road and Punjab’s Civil Secretariat. It further read that troops have also been posted at Aiwan-e-Addal, Supreme Court of Pakistan (Lahore Registry), Lahore High Court, office of PPO/IGP, and Punjab Institute of Cardiology and other companies for backup.

Rangers have also been posted at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology in the wake of the attack. Rangers personnel have taken charge of the PIC, and started performing their duties outside the hospital building.