Police on Thursday tortured Lahore Bar Association (LBA) members trying to stage a protest rally on the Mall. The police disallowed the lawyers to hold the rally and baton-charged and used tear gas to disburse them.
Bar members, including bar president Muhammad Shah, secretary Khawar Bashir, Imran Qasir, Shamim Malik, Imran Qasir, Malik Rashid and Dilshad, received injuries and Qasir Shahid, whose leg was fractured, was taken to hospital. The rest of the bar members and policemen who also received injuries in scuffles were allowed to go after first aid. The police arrested three bar members but later freed them.
Before the rally, the bar members observed a black day, wearing black arm bands and hoisted black flags on the bar building tops. The bar members later gathered in the hall and passed a resolution demanding the withdrawal of the emergency and the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO).
The bar members also demanded the release of the bar members. They told the government to strict action against police officials responsible for disgracing the bar and torturing its members.
They announced to continue boycotting oath-taking judges and demanded that the government reinstate the judges refusing to take oath. The Lahore High Court Bar Association also met, urging the government to withdraw cases against the bar members.
They condemned the police torture and branded them a state terrorism. Sarfraz Cheema, Hamid Khan, Manzoor Ali Gillani, Khuram Latif and Malik Saeed Hassan made speeches in the bar meeting held with its president Ehsan Bohn.