PFUJ demands SC to take notice of lawyers’ excesses
ISLAMABAD, (SANA): The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has taken notice of increasing incidents of excesses against media persons by lawyers, and cautioned that if such a trend did not stop, democratic values and civil liberties would suffer.
In a statement issued here on Sunday, the PFUJ pointed out that Television crew of a renowned channel was maltreated by a group of lawyers in Lahore and termed the incident as very unfortunate and a black spot on the face of lawyers who are known as “custodians of civilization,” on their own.
Referring to the recent Lahore incident in which lawyers, without any provocation and justification, attacked the a private television channel team damaging cameras and manhandling other members of the team and prevented them from discharging their professional assignments, the PFUJ said it reflected immaturity among lawyers “who are themselves supposed to fight and struggle for rule of law.”
According to details, in an act of hooliganism, the lawyers tortured a private news channel’s correspondent and Anarkali Police SHO on the premises of the District and Session Judge Court on Thursday.
It is said that Smanabad police arrested two people who happened to be brothers of a women lawyer in a case.
Samanabad police Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Akram produced before a court where Ankarali police Naeem Anwar Bajwa and Inspector Zaheer of the Islampra plice were also present in connection with different cases.
In the meantime, a group of lawyers attacked the Anarkali SHO and Islampura police inspector, who had nothing to do with the Samanabad arrests, threshed them severely.
Furthermore, the lawyers also ripped their uniform, official documents, abused and threatened them with dire consequences. A private television channel team rushed to the spot but the lawyers did not let it cover the incident and instead threatened it and deprived Asim Nasir, the channel’s correspondent of his card.
Lawyers also ripped the camera bag, abused and violently pushed the correspondent and camera-man.
“By disgracing the professional persons, the lawyers have not only committed a serious offence but also indulged in creating impediments in the working of media “, the PFUJ argued.
The PFUJ regretted that soon after the “joint movement of the democratic lovers, including media persons, civil society and lawyers, the lawyers have now become intolerant and are frequently involved in scuffles with police, media men and ordinary citizens.
The PFUJ admitted the lawyers were undoubtedly one of the organ and had been in the forefront against the dictator Gen Pervaiz Musharaf and for the independence of judiciary, however, in some incidents, they even physically tortured media persons, police and other people without any reason.
“Media played a vital role in the success of lawyers’ movement for restoration judiciary and now incidents of torture against media persons by lawyers have become order of the day,” the PFUJ added.
The PFUJ urged the senior lawyers, bar associations and bar councils to take serious notice of such incidents on the behalf of the lawyers and declared the lawyers maltreatment as professional misconduct.
The union pointed out that neither Chief Justice of Lahore High Court nor Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan took any notice of such indecent acts of lawyers.
The PFUJ demanded the Supreme Court to take notice of the “lawyers excesses” as they took law into their so as a conduce environment for media persons for discharging their professional assignments could be ensured.
Translate this news
Comments are closed.
