The top lawyers of the country on Thursday strongly condemned the attack on Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) by lawyers, saying no one should be allowed to take the law into their hands.

Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader and senior lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan while talking to Business Recorder said that violence was "shameful and should be condemned in the strongest possible terms".

Ahsan further said that many of the lawyers' who ransacked PIC would be candidates for the upcoming local government elections in Punjab, adding that they wanted to gain prominence through the attack on PIC. "These people should not be allowed to contest the elections. These lawyers are destroying the reputation of all lawyers. My head is bowed down with shame," he added.

"They have attacked a hospital. For black coats to break windows and enter wards - this should never happen. No one should vote for anyone who took part in the rampage on PIC," Ahsan said.

Another top lawyer Babar Sattar termed it an "abhorrent" act and pointed out that "it isn't the first such incident". He said the bar leaders should call for cancellation of the licences of the lawyers involved.

"It is time to show allegiance to rule of law and not tribalism," he added.

Barrister Ali Zafar, former caretaker law minister, said those who disrupted operations at PIC committed a 'terrible' wrong.

"This is not just about lawyers and doctors. The entire episode from beginning to end is a reflection of our society as a whole," he added.

"Our younger generation needs guidance and role models," he maintained.

The genie of "Wukla Gardi" came out of its proverbial bottle after the 2007 Lawyers Movement, several lawyers told this correspondent.