ISLAMABAD - A one-man commission constituted to investigate storming of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) building on Feb 8, 2021 has presented its report to the Islamabad Bar Council (IBC).
The commission comprising Rana Abid Nazir Khan Advocate submitted the report before the IBC and mentioned the specific role played by lawyers in the attack on the Chief Justice Block of the IHC building.
The report pointed that “part-time lawyers” and those who had some vested interests were active in attacking the IHC compound. The report gave a detailed background relating to the incident with regards to demolition of the lawyers’ chambers by the district administration on February 7.
It said that there were three categories of lawyers who participated and facilitated the attack on the IHC building. The report further said that 17 of them were directly affected since their chambers were demolished during the operation.
It added that these lawyers include Khawar Dhniyal, Ghulam Nabi Baloch, Rao Sabir Hussain, Imdadullah, Musawar Hussain, Shuja Ullah, Tanvir Sial, Mushtaq Khaki, Sardar Hamza Shehroze, Hassan Sajjad, Chaudhry Sajjad, Nazia Abbasi, Ahsan Majeed Gujjar, Younis Kiani, Mirza Ateequr Rehman, Asadullah and Shafqat Inqalabi.
The report mentioned that as many as 20 lawyers were in the second category, who were not directly affected by the CDA operation but were present at the scene. Their names are Naseer Kiani, Ayub Arbab Gujjar, Zafar Khokhar, Asif Irfan, Navid Hayat Malik, Dilawar Khan, Asif Tamboli, Nafees Khan, Roman Kiani, Mustafa Qadri, Kamran Yousafzai, Hassan Sajjad, Ali Shan Kamboh, Khalid Taj, Chaudhry Tanvir Akhtar, Sami Wazir, Ubaid Ullah Shah, Usman Nasir, Chaudhry Mohammad Naseer and Shahid Kamal Khan.
The report stated that the lawyers in the third category are those who were coincidentally present at the time of the incident, in relation to hearing of petitions. It added that senior lawyers including Shahid Kamal Khan, Naseer Kiani, Chaudhry Naseer and Ayub Arbab Gujjar delivered fiery speeches provoking other lawyers against the IHC chief justice and instigated them to surround the IHC.
The report also referred to arrival of IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani in the bar room and addressing angry lawyers.
The commission’s report said that disciplinary committee of IBC has the power to decide about its action against the involved lawyers. It also recommended encouraging professional lawyers to participate in the bar elections.