FAISALABAD: Lawyers disrupted an official meeting being presided over by the deputy commissioner at his office here on Wednesday after forcing their entry into the premises where they ransacked furniture and shouted slogans, demanding the setting up of a Lahore High Court bench in the city.

After boycotting courts proceedings, the lawyers came out on the road in front of the district courts and blocked it for traffic by placing chairs on it. They also burnt used tyres to vent their anger.

The lawyers also locked the main gates of the district courts and did not allow any litigants to enter.

They had also staged a demonstration outside the Circuit House on Sunday when Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar was on a visit to the city.

A group of lawyers barged into the DC’s office, forcibly opened the conference room door where a police constable put up minor resistance.

Pushing the constable away, the lawyers forced their entry into the conference room where DC Saifullah Dogar was presiding over an official meeting.

One of the lawyers shoved the DC trying to force him to end the meeting that was also being attended by some women officials.

The staff of the DC office, however, resisted the rowdy lawyers.

According to witnesses, the policemen manning the DC office gate offered no resistance to the agitating lawyers and let them enter the premises.

Talking to reporters, the lawyers said that they would lock the offices of the DC and the commissioner on Thursday (today) if their demand was not met.

They said that they had been peacefully demanding the LHC bench for the city for more than two years, but to no avail. The establishment of the LHC bench would be a great service to litigants and lawyers belonging to Faisalabad division, they added.

They said some of the ministers of the previous government as well as office-bearers of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had been promising the establishment of the LHC bench. But after coming to power, they regretted, the PTI also seemed reluctant to accept the demand.

They vowed to continue the protest till the acceptance of the demand.

In Gujranwala, members of the district bar association locked the gates of the district courts, not allowing litigants to enter.

They were agitating to put pressure on the government to establish an LHC divisional bench in the city.

Addressing the lawyers, DBA president Noor Muhammad Mirza and secretary general Zaheer Ahmad called upon the chief justices of the Supreme Court and the high court as well as the government to establish an LHC bench in Gujranwala division to facilitate the local people in getting justice.

Akram Malik from Gujranwala also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2018