Judges at Lahore’s courts heard cases of only urgent nature on Saturday following a call for a strike given by the black coats throughout Punjab in protest against the demolition of lawyers’ chambers in Islamabad and registration of cases against them, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Hearing in cases of murder, narcotics and others were postponed at the city’s session, district, Model Town and Cantonment courts.

Punjab Bar Council has also given a call for a complete strike across the province against the incident that happened last Monday (February 8).

Meanwhile, a large number of lawyers of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, including women, staged a march towards the Red Zone on the call given by Islamabad Bar.

Similarly, a group of lawyers welcomed members of the Rawalpindi Bar at Islamabad’s district courts’ parking lot.

Together, then, they went to D-Chowk to register their protest against the demolition of their colleagues’ chambers and the registration of cases against them.

Former president of District Bar Islamabad held 

In an important development in Islamabad High Court (IHC) rioting case, police arrested former president of District Bar Islamabad Malik Zafar Khokhar, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday.

Khokhar, who was nominated in the IHC rioting case, had also been issued a show-cause notice by the same court in connection with the contempt of court.

The former president of District Bar Islamabad will be produced in court today (on Saturday). 

Lawyers in Islamabad on Monday (February 8) had forcibly shut down district courts as well as the Islamabad High Court (IHC) as they went berserk over bulldozing of their chambers built on footpaths and parking areas by the capital administration.

The protesting lawyers also barred the entry of litigants in the IHC premises besides bringing traffic on the adjacent Service Road to a halt.

The situation became so tense that Deputy Commissioner (DC) Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat had to reach Islamabad High Court to monitor the situation.

The lawyers also shouted slogans against IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah restricting the latter to his chamber.

The protestors refused to talk to the administration until their chambers were rebuilt.