RAWALPINDI - The lawyers of District Bar Association staged a demonstration at Katchehri Chowk on Saturday against a controversial interview of business tycoon Malik Riaz Ahmed by two anchorpersons of a private TV channel.
The protesters, led by DBA President Sajid Ilyas Bhatti, set the effigies of Malik Riaz Ahmed and male anchor of a private TV channel on fire for their attempt to distort the image of superior judiciary and its honourable judges in public eyes through an apparently planted TV show.
The enraged protestors also chanted full-throated slogans in favour of the cameraman of private TV channel, who leaked out the off-air conversation of the troika, and against President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Malik Riaz, and two anchorpersons of a private TV channel. Mess of black coats on busiest Katchehri Chowk triggered a massive gridlock of traffic on GT Road and its linking roads, posing hardships for commuters in scorching heat.
Earlier, a meeting of DBA general body was also held under its President Sajid Ilyas Bhatti. DBA Secretary General Imran Ali Malik Advocate, Joint Secretary Abdul Basit Malik and many other members also attended the meeting.
During the meeting, the footage of interview and list of some anchorpersons and journalists allegedly funded by the business tycoon, were also shown to the audience in a bid to unveil the vicious faces of those involved in mudslinging campaign against superior court and its judges.
Later, the lawyers took out a protest rally, besides boycotting court proceedings. They gathered at Katchehri Chowk and protested against the attempts of troika to defame the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Addressing the protestors, DBA President Sajid Ilyas Bhatti condemned the ongoing dirty game against superior courts and its judges whose one and only purpose was to end the menace of corruption from the country as well as dispense speedy justice to poor masses. He said that after leaking of the controversial video the stance of lawyers became true that conspiracies were being hatched to harm the judiciary.
He paid a rich tribute to Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, and his other companion judges for the utmost struggles for the rule of law in the country.
He said that the lawyers were ready to render all kinds of sacrifices for the independence of judiciary and would not allow any one to defame the superior courts.