Lahore  -    A meeting of lawyers’ leaders representing the Punjab Bar Council, High Court and Lahore bars associations was held at the Judicial Complex Lahore where a skirmish took place between them on the issue of vacation of chambers and demolition of grabbed area around the complex.

The meeting also attended by Punjab Bar member Ahsan Bhoon, LHC Bar Association President Hafeezur Rehman Ch and Lahore Bar President Asim Cheem, Secretary Maqsood Khokhar etc was held to solve the issue of illegal allotment of chambers made by the last cabinet of the Lahore Bar Association.

The verbal fight turned violent when the occupants of the chambers were asked to vacate the same to implement the orders issued by the Pakistan Bar Council. In its orders, the PBC had requested the Lahore High Court registrar and the district judge Lahore to ensure the early vacation of the chambers for re-balloting of the chambers to the eligible bar members including Christians and women lawyers.

The former LBA body was accused of allotting the chambers to their blue-eyed lawyers and even non-lawyers person from outside the city. Thus the matter was taken to the Pakistan Bar Council and Punjab Bar Council which termed the allotment as illegal and suggested re-balloting of the chambers in a transparent manner.

The Appeal Committee of the Pakistan Bar Council had made the decision in an appeal filed against the illegal allotment of chambers in the newly built Judicial Complex.

The Appeal Committee had issued notices to the respondents and finally decided the matter. The ex-LBA Cabinet was accused of making illegal and unlawful allotment of chambers without and rhyme and reason and of using no principle of transparency in the process.

It was also observed that chambers have also been allotted to the former LBA office-bearers too including Joint Secretary who has also written his name and office above the room’s door allotted to him. On the other side, many of those issued allotment letters could not get the chambers as the same had been grabbed by some other ones.

The PbBC Executive Committee taking up the application filed by Malik Bashir Advocate termed the procedure adopted by former LBA cabinet regarding the allotment of chambers “unfair… therefore the act of Lahore Bar Association of chamber allotment is held to be illegal”.

When contacted, PBC member Abid Saqi said that the grabbing and construction on the parking floor were illegal, horrible and absolutely unacceptable. He said that the illegal construction would be demolished and normality would return in and around the building.

When contacted, LBA Secretary Maqsood Khokhar said that a four-member committee will be constituted to resolve the matter. However, he refused to comment on the lawyers skirmish during the meeting.