MULTAN: Enraged Lawyers strongly protested the shifting of the judicial complex and resorted to vandalising the new building on Wednesday.

The lawyers had staged a protest outside the old judicial complex at Katcheri Chowk and reached the new complex in buses. Upon reaching the new premises, located on Matital Road, the lawyers stormed into the 55-room building and started vandalising the building.

The enraged lawyers broke the windows and doors of the judges’ rooms and courtrooms inside the new judicial complex and chanted slogans.

The members of the legal fraternity claimed that they were against the decision to shift the judicial complex. The new judicial complex does not have sufficient facilities, according to the protesting lawyers.

The lawyers also remarked that they had given the relevant officials a month to meet their demands.

About two hours after the incident, the protesters were dispersed. the SSP Operations said that the police will not leave the premises till all the protesters have been dispersed.

However the police were seen helpless as the lawyers outnumbered the police officials deployed to control the situation.

Khalid Ashraf, who was leading the protest, claimed that his group held a peaceful demonstration. The men who vandalised the building belonged to another group, he added.

When asked about the protest, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah told media that the lawyers were just exercising their “democratic right.” He remarked wittingly that there is a “national census” on staging protests to resolve issues.

“How can you stop them [lawyers] from following the actions that are accepted on the national level?” He mentioned that this is the precedent that has been set by the Faizabad Interchange protest, which ended after former federal law minister Zahid Hamid handed in his resignation.

Speaking about the role of the police, Sanaullah said the officers have been “directed to engage them [the protesters] and stop them from damaging property. However, they have been directed to not harm any lawyer.”

He shared that the incident hadn’t come to his notice earlier as the lawyers had presented their demands to the judiciary. “We have just taken a notice of this. We will engage the lawyers and try to reach a compromise. If we are not able to do this, then we will approach an arbitrator to resolve the issue.”

Former President Supreme Court Bar Association Barrister Ali Zafar said he does not support violent protest for the acceptance of demands by any community including lawyers and said issues must be resolved through negotiations.

Multan’s Sessions and District courts judges shifted to their chambers as the lawyers started their protest.—INP