PESHAWAR: In the controversy between lawyers and government officials, two separate cases have been registered by the local police respectively against an additional assistant commissioner (AAC) for ‘torturing’ a senior advocate and against some protesting lawyers for ‘attacking’ the office of Peshawar deputy commissioner.

An FIR was registered against the AAC, Aftab Ahmad, at Chamkani police station on Saturday night under different sections of Pakistan Penal Code including section 324 (attempt to commit international murder), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).

While an official at the East Cantonment police station denied that they had registered any FIR against some protesting lawyers, who had allegedly attacked the office of deputy commissioner during a demonstration on Saturday, a high level officer confirmed that the FIR had been registered but was kept confidential.

All is set for province-wide strike by the lawyers and officers of provincial bureaucracy against each other today (Monday). The Peshawar High Court Bar Association and Peshawar District Bar Association will also hold a joint general body meeting on Monday.

Province-wide strikes by lawyers and govt officers today

While on June 4, the members of Pakistan Administrative Services and Provincial Management Services announced strike on Monday, a demonstration of government servants would be held today near the office of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary.

Some other organisations of government servants have also announced to join the protest demonstration against lawyers. These organisations include All Employees Coordination Council, Civil Secretariat Peshawar and Revenue Officers Welfare Association.

These organisations stated that if action was not taken within three days against the lawyers, who had allegedly attacked the DC office, and the lawyer, who had ‘misbehaved’ with the AAC, they would fully support any future course of action to be decided by the PAS and PMS.

The controversy had started after registration of an FIR and arrest of a lawyer Syed Ghufranullah Shah, who was charged by an AAC of obstructing him from performance of his duty at a filling station on Thursday night.

In the FIR, the AAC stated that he went to a filling station on GT Road where he had reports of hindrance in supply of fuel to motorists. He alleged while he was busy in checking, a person, later identified as Syed Ghufranullah, started hurling threats at him and his squad.

He stated that the person also attacked his uniformed squad members and tried to snatch their weapons. The lawyer was granted bail by a magistrate on Friday.

The issue aggravated after a video went viral on social media, showing some policemen dragging the lawyer in torn clothes to a police pick-up vehicle.

On Saturday, an additional district and sessions judge accepted a petition of the lawyer, seeking the court’s order for police to register an FIR against the AAC, Aftab Ahmad, and some police officials. On the basis of that order the FIR against the AAC was registered at Chamkani police station.

The lawyers had also observed province-wide strike on Saturday on the call of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council, which also announced of continuing the strike on Monday.

Syed Ghufranullah alleged that the AAC was trying to disrupt the lane of motorists for refueling his official vehicle and when he objected to it, he was severely tortured, his clothes were torn and he was taken to the police station.

The Peshawar’s deputy commissioner office in a statement denied the version of the lawyers and stated that the AAC was on duty and a CCTV footage clearly showed that he was not refueling his vehicle.

The deputy commissioner, Shafiullah, in a letter to the commissioner of Peshawar division, stated that members of the legal fraternity entered the premises of his office and manhandled the security staff deputed there.

It added that the lawyers chanted slogans and used abusive language, not only creating ruckus but also trying to undermine sanctity of a government office. It alleged that the protesters were led by the president of Peshawar District Bar Association, Ali Zaman, and were instigated by Advocate Ghufran.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2022