Rift in lawyers further widens

LAHOREâ€" Rifts that rose among the lawyers after inconclusive end of ‘Long March’ further widened on Thursday when two city bars failed to take out a combined rally in the presence of Aitzaz Ahsan, president of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA). The Lahore Bar Association (LBA) held a rally in the leadership of its president Manzoor Qadir and marched ahead of the LHC Bar Association’s rally led by Aitzaz.

Furthermore, LHCBA secretary Rana Asadullah and LBA secretary Latif Sarra scuffled and exchanged harsh words during the rally over gaining proper place in front of media cameras.

On the other hand, a member of Pakistan Bar Council Hafiz Abdur Rehman Ansari has also criticised Aitzaz for making statement against PBC. Aitzaz in a press conference on Wednesday had said the lawyers would not follow PBC’s decisions rather they would make their own decisions in All Pakistan Lawyers Representatives Convention.

Over all it was a poor show as far as the number of lawyers were concerned. Only dozens of black coats were marching on the road despite the fact a reasonable number of lawyers were present at the time of holding general house meeting.

The city lawyers of the SCBA, Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA), and the LBA on Thursday as their previous routine had planned to hold a combined protest rally on the call of Pakistan Bar Council to record their protest against removal of judges.

The LHCBA on Wednesday had announced that it would hold the rally under the leadership of Aitzaz Ahsan.

The LBA and LHCBA after holding their general house meetings took out their rallies respectively from the Aiwan-e-Adl and the LHC.

Unlike the previous routine, the LBA did not wait for the LHCBA lawyers at the GPO Chowk and marched straightway to their destination at the Punjab Assembly Hall. Activists of Jamat-e-Islami, Pakhtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party, Labour Party and Tehrik-e-Khaksaar were also marching with them without waiting for the LHCBA lawyers.

As the LBA lawyers reached near the Panorama Shopping Mall, the LHCBA in the leadership of Aitzaz Ahsan took to The Mall and started following them.

However, the LBA lawyers had a break near the Masjid-e-Shuhada where the LHCBA lawyers also joined them and from there they started marching together.

LBA president Manzoor Qadir told the media persons that he made several phone calls to the LHCBA representatives that the LBA rally had reached at the GPO Chowk but they did not come out.