HRCP concerned at police cruelty against lawyers
LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has shown distress at the police cruelty against lawyers on court premises in provincial metropolis that resulted in injuries to many lawyers that also included female lawyers and declared it “manifestly disproportionate and entirely uncalled for”.
The HRCP regrets events of the last few days including what happened at the office of the chief justice of Lahore High Court. It was urged in the statement that all allegations of violence by lawyers should be independently probed. However, it is impossible to condone the indiscriminate use of violence against lawyers by the police, which was manifestly disproportionate to any perceived provocation, entirely uncalled for and indefensible.
The statement further added that the chief justice of Pakistan has noted the ‘use of excessive force and resorting to high-handedness and brutality’ by the police. Arrests of lawyers and institution of cases against them under the Anti-Terrorism Act are quite contrary to legal propriety, it added. They set a dangerous precedent and are not at all the appropriate means to deal with lawyers’ unrest. The government must ensure that the independence and dignity of the legal profession is not ignored while upholding the independence and dignity of the judiciary. Negotiations must remain the primary means, and not the last resort, for resolving all matters. Police must not be allowed to exceed its authority.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:10/5/2010
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