A few hundred of lawyers attacked the Punjab Institute of Cardiology , supposedly tortured doctors and attendants and damaged hospital property and forced the dangerously patients to rush for life. The raiders were seemingly on a mission to take revenge a group of lawyers, who had been beaten up at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology. The police acted on finding the information minister under attack by lawyers fired tear gas, baton-charged before arresting many demonstrators violent clashes erupted between the protesting lawyers and law enforcers after a police van had been set on fire. The circumstances aggravated when a crowd entered into the emergency department, seemingly in search of some doctors. Because of the coming danger, the doctors fled the location. As condition of some critical patients deteriorated in the absence of doctors, four Punjab Institute of Cardiology patients, including a girl and an elderly woman, died during the time excessive fear reigned over the hospital. This is one of the biggest violent protests by lawyers in Lahore, which caused fear among medical brotherhood in particular and public in general, came only weeks before the major bar elections.
PBC vice chairman Syed Amjad Shah condemned unfortunate incident, he issued a countrywide strike call against what he says “partial and biased” conduct of the Lahore police and administration against the lawyers. An anti-terrorism court in Lahore sent over 46 lawyers on judicial remand while turning down a request by police for their physical remand to investigate charges of attacking the Punjab Institute of Cardiology. Supreme Court requested to constitute judicial commission to investigate and punish those responsible for hooliganism; 46 lawyers were sent on judicial remand. The evidence shared by the Punjab chief minister and IG police with the Prime Minister was quite sour. The violence and hostility showed by the lawyers were under a well planned and aimed agenda. The government thinks that the lawyers and doctors could not conflict with each other unless there was some political ground behind it. The government would contact bar councils and lawyers’ bodies and advise them to remove rotten apple from the legal brotherhood. It regretted that on the one hand the lawyers, who were protectors of the law, violated it and, on the other, the doctors, who work for rescue of humanity, had left serious patients helpless to save their doctors own life. The petitioner requested the Supreme Court to interfere in the matter since the lawyers in Lahore would not be controlled by law implement agencies, not to say by judges of the Lahore High Court.
The petition appealed that licence of the lawyers who have crossed the limits of integrity be suspended immediately and those who have been arrested and those who may be known be dealt with in conformity with the law. It requested the apex court to also order registration of cases of murder and destroying of the property against the raging lawyers. The petition satisfied that the assembly of lawyers for the main motive of creating law and order and attacking the physicians and paramedical staff was against the law and in contravention of Article 16 of the Constitution. The petition also pleaded that strike calls given by the lawyers be declared against the law. All the judges’ officers are directed to sit in the courts in such environments and dismiss the cases for non judicial prosecution in such conditions. The Lahore police arrested 46 lawyers and produced them before the anti-terrorism court.
The Punjab Institute cardiology seems on a mission to revenge a group of lawyers, who had been beaten up at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology few weeks ago, on the social media showing some doctors making good fun of the lawyers while recalling the incident. The raged attackers, manly youthful faces dressed in black suits and sporting neckties, spared no one present on hospital premises, where several serious cardiac patients are under treatment at any given time. The situation deteriorated when a crowd attacked into the emergency department, seemingly in search of some doctors. In view of the immediate danger, the doctors fled the scene. As the condition of some serious patients deteriorated in the absence of doctors, three PIC patients, including a girl and an elderly woman, passed away. After continued violence, police had arrested a large number of lawyers. The Punjab government also invited additional troops of Rangers personnel to maintain law and order. The First Information Report registered on the complaint of the Punjab institute of Cardiology at the Shadman police station named the general secretary of the Lahore Bar Association Malik Maqsood Khokhar, vice president of the LBA Ijaz Basra and LBA presidential hopeful Rana Intizar among those who were leading the lawyers, inducing them and giving them the instructions that anyone including doctors and medical staff who get in the way should be not able to get away safely. As stated in the FIR, one group of lawyers also entered and ransacked the nurses’ ward. The lawyer also bullied the staff. A day after the protests, services at PIC remain suspended with the exception of the coronary care unit (CCU). In the meantime clean up at the hospital is in progress. Patients have been shifted to other hospitals
The violent attack from lawyers, numbering a few hundreds, at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology is not understandable. These lawyers are well known for doing it on streets. They have even done it at courts. The Prime Minister has taken a notice of the violent protest. This guardian of law must be taught how to respect the law. No one should escape from this punishment. The incident of attacking of the Punjab Institute of Cardiology was taken to the Supreme Court for constitution of a judicial commission to probe and punish those responsible for the fury. The Pakistan bar Council lawyers’ top regulatory body was also asked by a member to apologies to the country for the attack on the Punjab Institute of Cardiology.