LAHORE  - Lahore High Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said that courts premises are sanctuary of peace and tranquility for the aggrieved persons and lawyers, and urged the law enforcing agencies to take strong security measures for the safety of courts.
He was addressing to an emergent meeting of Pakistan Bar Council, Punjab Bar Council, Lahore High Court Bar Association and Lahore Bar Association held in Kayani Hall on Monday.
It may be mentioned here that it happened for the first time in the history of Lahore High Court that a sitting Chief Justice joined the Bar gathering to condemn the fatal incident of Islamabad. Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik and Justice Ejazul Ahsan also accompanied the chief justice on the occasion.
The CJ said that criticism on the working of security agencies is the right of the masses but they should not be violent and hold the law enforcing personnel in esteem.
He strongly condemned the terrorist attack at Islamabad Sessions Courts in which an Additional District & Sessions Judge and a dozen of lawyers lost their lives. The CJ further observed that the legal fraternity was not alone in this hour of grief. “We had to face the entire circumstances as united,” the chief justice also appealed the lawyers to remain peaceful.
The office-bearers of different bodies of legal fraternity strongly condemned the Islamabad attack and assured the government of their full cooperation against terrorists’ activities.
Meanwhile, the work at all superior and lower courts was stopped to express solidarity with the victims of terrorists’ attack. Lahore High Court Bar Association president Shafqat Mehmood Chohan asked the members of the Bar to stop working as a protest against the coward activity.