FAISALABAD: Amid presence of scores of policemen, a group of lawyers on Wednesday locked the main gate of district courts in compliance with the general body decision.

Office-bearers of the district bar association convened a meeting of the general body on Wednesday to devise a future course of action to press the government for the establishment of a Lahore High Court bench in Faisalabad.

Dozens of lawyers attended the general body meeting where they delivered speeches in favour of the bench.

Two lawyers also exchanged words while the general body meeting was on, however, their colleagues intervened and resolved the issue.

When the meeting was over, lawyers carrying banners and placards turned up on the Press Club Road, marched towards the district courts and locked its gates.

Some of the lawyers kept asking their fellows to let the policemen and other litigants out of the courts [prior to locking], however, their voices were ignored.

A message was conveyed by the secretary bar to the media saying that filing of suits and diary of cases were stopped and registration branches locked and all members were asked to follow the decisions otherwise ‘violators’ would face the disciplinary action.

Lawyers had been observing a strike for the last more than two weeks for the establishment of a LHC bench in Faisalabad.

About a week ago, lawyers had roughed up Deputy Commissioner Saifullah Dogar when he was chairing a meeting at his office and locked the district accounts and prosecution department offices during their demonstrations.

The protesting lawyers had also subjected some of the litigants to torture.

On Wednesday, the lawyers blocked traffic in front of the district courts and kept chanting slogans for the bench and closure of the courts.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2018