RAWALPINDI, April 9: The Punjab governor, caretaker government and President House are allegedly involved in violence against former federal minister Dr Sher Afgan Niazi as they are conspiring to prove that the new democratic government is ineligible to control the state of affairs.

This was said by President Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) Sardar Asmatullah at a press conference here on Wednesday.

Clearly those were officials of the intelligence agencies who thrashed the former minister and it was quite evident from their hair cuts and dressing, he alleged.

The LHCBA condemns the unfortunate incident and expresses its utter grief over the tragedy, he said.

The bar representatives said it was unjust to single out lawyers as the perpetrators of the unfortunate incident in Lahore.

People in February 18 elections discarded political parties that supported President Pervez Musharraf, and that annoyed the establishment which in collaboration with intelligence agencies was trying to sabotage the democratic process, Sardar Asmatullah claimed.

Trashing of former Sindh chief minister and ransacking of the official residence of Supreme Court judge, who did not take oath under November 3 PCO, reveal the real intentions of the conspirators.

The plot becomes more evident as the attack on Dr Arbab Rahim was carried out from the governor’s gallery in the Sindh Assembly, the LHCBA president said.

Sardar Asmatullah expressed his resolve to continue the ongoing struggle for the restoration of judges till the Murree Accord was implemented in letter and spirit.

Later the Rawalpindi Bar Association, in a meeting, unanimously passed a resolution, condemning the maltreatment of former federal minister in Lahore and burning of Mianwali bar offices. The resolution was moved by Junaid Akhtar Khokhar advocate and was signed by a number of lawyers.

The resolution said the lawyers were restrained by Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan and some unidentified men attacked Dr Niazi. This was a plot to sabotage the lawyers’ peaceful campaign for the return of pre-November 3 judiciary, it said.

Speaking on the occasion, both the district bar and LHCBA presidents said they would also resign from their respective offices if Aitzaz Ahsan did not take back his decision of resigning.

While condemning the incident, other speakers said such happenings were carried out only to vilify the legal fraternity.