SCBA rejects allegations against legal fraternity: IHCBA suspends membership of 60 lawyers

The Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) on Friday suspended bar membership of 60 lawyers for appearing before the courts despite the strike announced by Pakistan Bar Council (PBC).

Joint Secretary IHCBA Waqar Ahmad Gondal sent their names to Vice Chairman Islamabad Bar Council (IBC) for further action against them.

The reference sent to IBC states; "Despite strike notice issued by the Pakistan Bar Council as well as Islamabad Bar Council, the following lawyers have disobeyed the directions issued by your good office, therefore their membership of Islamabad High Court Bar Association is suspended forthwith."

The list of 60 suspended lawyers contained names of two deputy attorneys general including Tariq Mehmood Khokhar and Syed Muhammad Tayyab while the membership of three women lawyers was also suspended.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) rejected the "unlawful" allegation against legal fraternity and expected that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) would recall the suspension of IHCBA Secretary General Umair Baloch Advocate.

Through a press statement, Sectary SCBA Shamim-ur-Rehman Malik strongly rejected and condemned the "unlawful" allegation made against legal fraternity in the wake of the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) incident on December 11, 2019 in Lahore.

The secretary expressed grave concern over the "unlawful" arrests of certain lawyers and "torture" on them during their detention and inhumane behavior with them by the Punjab police and questioned the Punjab government why the doctors working in PIC who too were involved in this incident have not been arrested till now.

The SCBA also rejected the allegation regarding direct involvement of lawyers community in the attacking. According to it, the members of lawyers community had gathered outside the PIC building to record a peaceful protest against the "unwarranted speech" from the "goons hiding in the ranks of medical community". It was the root cause of the reaction which provoked the entire legal fraternity, the SCBA added.

He added that still lawyers only gathered outside the PIC to record their protest and remained disciplined till the attack that was launched on them from the inside of PIC with active involvement of local administration.

The secretary said the incident was in consequence of local police's inaction in relation to an incident which took place on November 24, 2019. He maintained that the lawyers' community has been on protest since then; they passed several resolutions and organised a sit-in in front of Punjab Secretariat as well as in front of Inspector General of Punjab Police and demanded the arrest of "culprit" doctors for so many days but their demand was never met.