It was a lawyer from Lincoln’s Inn, London, who fought the then superpower to win Pakistan. Another iconic lawyer made headlines over the globe with her undeterred championship of human rights. We have had more than fair share of legal geniuses who have led extraordinary debates in courts and fought (at times, till death) for causes close to their hearts. Recent times have adorned Pakistan with its first transgender lawyer and first woman lawyer to be inducted in the prestigious Lincoln committee. Alas! Lawyers have fast descended into degeneracy in the last decade or so. From being the superstars of their country to super gangsters, they have now emerged as an uncontrollable genie out of its proverbial bottle. Acting on their worst impulses, lawyers have been known to pelt media representative with stones, thrash police and crack open heads of judges (using courtroom chairs, of all weapons). The famous Khadija Siddique case saw a brigade of lawyers defending the son of a serious lawyer even after he had stabbed a law student 23 times in broad daylight. But a mob of black coats plumbed a new low last week when they attacked the Islamabad High Court over the demolition of their chambers by the civic authorities. In a refreshing development, Islamabad Police has been directed to constitute a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the February 8 attack. Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism court sent a lawyer accused of the attack on a seven-days judicial remand. In a befitting manner, the same chief justice who was held hostage by ruffian lawyers, wreaking havoc on the court premises, for over three hours lambasted: “No is above the law.” Directing the police authorities to take relevant actions only per the evidence and the law, the CJ believed that those involved in the unfortunate incident should be exemplified. And he couldn’t be more right in demanding strict action. Only over a year ago, our upholder of law stormed the Punjab Institute of Cardiology in Lahore. Desperate to teach everybody a lesson, they attacked doctors and patients, broke intensive care machinery and even set a police car on fire. More ignominious were the patients who could not survive after their oxygen masks were snatched off. What a mockery of law and decency! Most lawyers (some, even backed by bar associations) have embarked on a crusade to stand as a mafia above rules that apply to everyone but them. Black coats have swarmed two high courts in the past five years. As described by a female judge from Punjab, so abysmal was the state of hooliganism in lower courtrooms that she had contemplated suicide on numerous occasions. Umpteenly, members of the legal fraternity have misused the power of defiance discovered during the Adlia Bahali Tehreek to carry out their whims. Like Homer’s “face that launched a thousand ships,” General Musharraf’s suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry had waged a call to coalesce a politically diverse–even, divided–bar. Chanting the sanctity of bar, these lawyers might have achieved a civil triumph. However, the taste of this newly-found disruptive freedom was hard to let go of. The lawyers’ movement is often romantically described as a fight for democracy and justice against a dictator. In reality, it was nothing but a spark that let loose a constant degeneration of morals in young lawyers. Under no circumstances can we call the attack on high court anything but criminal activity. And criminals have to pay for their crimes. May it be the suspension of the licenses by the bar council or the contempt of court proceedings by the judges, the miscreants will have to pay. No matter how low their heads may be, words alone won’t do the trick. Not this time! g