LAHORE: Former Supreme Court Bar Association (SBA) president Syed Ali Zafar on Friday condemned an attack by scores of lawyers on Asma Jahangir’s associates inside a courtroom in the Lahore High Court (LHC). He sought a strict action against all those who abused and attacked the lawyers representing Bilquis Zareena in a missing persons’ case. Barrister Zafar called upon the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) and the LHC registrar to jointly file a first information report (FIR) against all those involved in the matter. Talking to the media, he also called upon the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) to suspend licences of all those involved in the incident. Barrister Zafar said that practicing law was a wonderful profession in which the best of intellectuals engage in legal arguments before judges for protection of their clients and such instances tarnish the image of lawyers worldwide. He said that such elements deserved no leniency otherwise such incidents would become all pervasive, which would cause an irreparable loss to the legal fraternity. He urged the LHC chief justice to hold an urgent meeting with the representatives of PBC, LHCBA and other senior lawyers practicing in the court. On Thursday, the Human Right Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also condemned the attack on Asma’s associates by a group of lawyers inside a courtroom. In a statement, the commission said: “The HRCP is particularly alarmed that the violent assault took place inside a courtroom. It is obvious that the attack occurred only because Asma Jahangir had agreed to represent petitioners against an influential lawyer, who also happens to be a member of Pakistan Bar Council (PBC).” Published in Daily Times, June 24th, 2017.