August 24, 2020

PRESS RELEASE

CONDEMNATION

Mr. Abid Saqi, Vice-Chairman, Pakistan Bar Council, while expressing his grave concern on rapidly increasing lawlessness in the Country, has strongly condemned the successive target killings of more than Five Advocates and murder attacks on many others. Names of some of the Advocates victim of target killings and those survived in murder attacks, are mentioned herein below:-

VICTIMS OF TARGET KILLINGS:-

• Mr. Sami Ullah Bajwa, Advocate and his Brother, who was law student from Sargodha;
• Mr. Iqbal Gujjar, Advocate, with his two friends, from Kasur;
• Mr. Ijaz Ahmed, Advocate, from Faisalabad;
• Mr. Zain Ghaffar, Advocate, from Lahore; &
• Mr. Kausar Saqlain, Advocate, from Karachi.

VICTIMS OF MURDER ATTACKS:-

• Malik Afzaal Awan, Advocate with his two Brothers from Lahore;
• Mr. Shehzad Munir Bhatti, President, DBA, Pakpattan,
• Mst. Irshad Nasreen, Advocate from Depalpur; &
• Mr. Sohail Sherazi, Advocate, from Sialkot,

who were also abducted and physically tortured. It is hight of callousness that Mst. Irshad Nasreen, Advocate, was abducted from Tehsil Courts, Depalpur on 14th August, and was continuously subjected to physical torture till 22nd August, 2020, when was found hands tightened in crops fields.

2. It is deeply painful that in just three weeks of the current month, more than five Advocates are victims of target killings whereas many more have been survived in murder attacks after being subjected to physical torture.

3. The legal fraternity, which always strives for the Rule of Law and Supremacy of the Constitution, is at great shock on target killings of and murder attempts upon its so many Members just in a period of three weeks which is highly alarming for the law abiding members of the Bar who are committed to work for the Rule of Law and to plead the cause of legal rights of the people in Courts of Law to get justice for them. The Government and the law enforcement agencies are duty bound to provide them security and safety of life but it is highly condemnable that the law enforcement agencies have miserably failed to protect lives and liberty of Advocates who are continuously victims of terrorism and exposed to target killings. It poses big question mark on the performance of law enforcement agencies and governance of the Government.

4. The Vice-Chairman, Pakistan Bar Council, therefore, has demanded of the Government to immediately arrest the culprits of target killings of
above-named Advocates and those involved in murder attacks on others, and try them in Anti-Terrorism Courts for awarding exemplary punishments.

SECRETARY