With heavy contingents of security personnel deployed in the city hundreds of lawyers, journalists and human rights activists were baton-charged and arrested on Monday. Journalists and activists of various political parties and human rights organisations were severely beaten up in front of Karachi Press Club (KPC) by law enforcers, who were counted at over 10,000 persons across the metropolis.
After a merciless baton-charge, the police arrested over 150 lawyers outside the City Courts and SHC building when the latter showed resistance and scuffled with the former.
Early in the morning, security personnel had blocked all main and link roads to KPC and cordoned off the building of the club. The journalists were asked to remain inside the club and refrain from participating or covering any event, which could lead to law and order situation.
Police arrested dozens of journalists and other people belonging to labour and civil society organisations, who had taken to streets in protest against curbs on media under emergency.
The five journalists arrested were Aaj TV cameramen Asghar Shah, two photographers Naziruddin Khan (from The Nation) and Shariq of Daily Khabrain, Mohsin and another whose name could not be ascertained. Police, however, refused to have any information about the arrest of journalists in front of KPC.
Four other journalists got minor injuries as a result of baton-charge. They were taken to nearby hospital for treatment. KPC Governing Body meeting, which was to decide about new memberships in the club, was postponed. Meanwhile, police raided printing section of a newspaper group and tried to stop publication of the evening issue of an Urdu newspaper.
The newspaper was to report all the happenings that took place on Monday. The city witnessed red alert on various places including Sindh High Court building, Governor House, Chief Minister House, Sindh Assembly Building, Radio Pakistan, Pakistan Television, and other important government installations.
A 'mini war' was witnessed when law enforcing agencies tried to prevent the lawyers and judges, who had refused to take oath under the PCO, from entering the high court building.
They included former Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed. Akhtar Hussain, a former president of Sindh High Court Bar Association told journalists that the lawyers would observe a three-day 'Black Day' across the country on decision of the Supreme Court Bar Association and Pakistan Bar Council as a protest. The security personnel, who had cordoned off houses of the High Court's judges, kept members of the judiciary in detention and nobody was allowed to meet them.
Staff Reporter from Lahore adds; The police rounded up 600 lawyers protesting the emergency rule with reporters witnessing a scene as if it were the Day of Judgement here in the Lahore High Court premises when policemen shoving lawyers inside their jeeps after they beat them up.
Several lawyers receiving serious injuries announced to boycott the judges who took oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) and continue protesting until the government withdraws the emergency and release the bar members.
The lawyers had announced to start the second phase of their struggle against the regime. The members attended a Lahore High Court Bar Association meeting in Shuhada-e-Karachi Hall and passed a resolution against the emergency. The bar also praised the judges who refused to take oath and those participating in struggle for the independence of the judiciary.
Punjab PPP President Shah Mehmood Qureshi then stepped in to make his speech, annoying the audience. The bar members started chanting slogans against the PPP, Benazir Bhutto, and President Pervez Musharraf reaching a deal they call an undemocratic act by the PPP leader.
The lawyers then came out of the hall where the policemen were waiting for them. They started beating them up and used tear gas to disburse the crowd. The policemen then chased the lawyers and took them out by holding them from arms, collars and necks. They humiliated and beat the lawyers, especially those resisting their arrest. After beating, insulting and abusing the lawyers they grabbed them and pushed them away in their vans.
The police also chased the lawyers in bar rooms, library, washrooms, committee rooms canteens and dispensary. They banned the bar members from escaping from the bar premises since all court gates were closed and besieged by the heavy police contingent. They also broke the bar furniture doors and windows. Some lawyers resorted to stoning the police who had now besieged the court's main gate.
A photographer and a policeman also received injuries. All office-bearers of the Lahore Bar President, Vice Presidents and Secretary Supreme Court Bar Association and President LHCBA Ehsan Bhoon were already arrested a day before.
The rest of the office-bearers of the LHCBA, Sarfraz Cheema, Fardoos Butt, Robi Awan and other bars office-bearers were arrested in the High Court premises here on Monday.
The police banned the Lahore Bar members who held a meeting of their own and decided to reach the High Court premises silently to join and support the other bar members. They reached the High Court premises one by one.
The police also arrested Save Judiciary Committee (SJC) Convenor Abdul Rashid Qureshi at the main gate and stopped anyone from giving him clothes and medicine. SJC also announced a hunger strike and put on fire 1,000 copies of PCO in the bar premises.