Police barred from entering all 43 district, 170 tehsil bars across Punjab

The Punjab Bar Council on Wednesday announced a ban on police entry into all 43 districts and 170 tehsil bar associations across the province after the killings of two lawyers — Mr. Muhammad Zeeshan Dhudhi Vehari and Mehr Muhammad Munir Sadhana, advocate and former President of Jhang District Bar Association.

In an official statement, the Bar Council president said police would not be permitted inside bar premises until further notice. He also called for the registration of cases against the suspects under the Lawyers’ Protection Act, a law that provides specific procedural protections for advocates and prescribes enhanced penalties in cases involving violence or intimidation against lawyers.

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Lawyers across the province are protesting because the suspects have not yet been arrested despite repeated appeals to the Punjab Police and IG Punjab. The Bar Council’s call for a province-wide strike at district courts also remained in effect. According to the statement, courts were requested not to issue “adverse orders” during the boycott — a term generally used within the legal system to refer to ex parte or penal orders passed in the absence of counsel.

A protest meeting has been scheduled for 11:30am in connection with the killings, where members are expected to press for swift arrests and stronger enforcement of protections for lawyers.

As part of the protest, police officers and investigation teams have been barred from entering bar offices and court premises. Lawyers are boycotting court proceedings, leading to the suspension of hearings in thousands of cases. In Rawalpindi Division alone, 14,695 cases could not be heard at district and tehsil courts.

On Wednesday, Special anti-terrorism court Judge Amjad Ali Shah arrived at the Rawalpindi District Bar to deliver a lecture on anti-terrorism laws without his police security team in compliance with the council’s ban. He said, “I left my entire police security team at the court and have come here alone, without security. I do not feel any danger here. As a lawyer, I am also a member of the Punjab Bar Council, and I am proud of that”.

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Punjab Bar Council Vice Chairman Ashfaq Kahut and Executive Committee Chairperson Zubairullah Nagra, after a special protest meeting, said the killings were carried out in an extremely brutal manner and called for the swift arrest of the suspects. “Peaceful protest is the constitutional and legal right of lawyers. Our protest will continue until the suspects are arrested and cases are registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Lawyers’ Protection Act,” they said.

Lawyers marched across district courts chanting slogans such as “lawyers will not tolerate terrorism.” By 11am, all district and tehsil courts in Rawalpindi Division were empty, reflecting the full impact of the strike and court boycott.

Lawyers also expressed their distress over the killings on online platforms, including X.

Rawalpindi District Bar President Sardar Manzar Bashir and Secretary Malik Asad Mahmood addressed the gathering, saying, “The black coat is our symbol of honour, and we will not allow it to be disrespected. We are lawyers first, before being members of any political party. The killers of the lawyers must be arrested. Until the arrests take place, the strike and protest will continue”.