The Lahore Bar Association (LBA) has cancelled the membership of a lawyer for repeated acts of misconduct and violence and has decided to send a reference against him to the Punjab Bar Council for the cancellation of his licence.
Advocate Malik Asghar Talib stands accused in various cases of drunkenness, public disorder and firing in the air. The LBA met a few days ago and decided to cancel his membership following an incident almost three weeks ago at the Model Town Courts, when the advocate allegedly fired in the air, fought with several lawyers and damaged parked vehicles.
There are at least three cases registered against Talib at Islampura, Race Course and Naseerabad police stations with lawyers being the complainants in at least two.
On Sunday, Naseerabad police produced Talib before Magistrate Imran Ishaq for causing panic at the Model Town Courts and gained his physical custody for two days. Police said that they would try to get the weapon he had used in the incident during the remand.
LBA Model Town Vice President Irfan Basra confirmed that the bar had cancelled Talib’s membership at a cabinet meeting a few days ago for violence and misconduct. The bar also decided to send a reference to the Punjab Bar Council for the cancelation of his licence to practise.
Basra said that there was no room in the LBA for violent lawyers. He said that the bar had received several complaints against him. He alleged that Talib had also attempted to deceive the courts a few days ago when an additional district and sessions judge dismissed his pre-arrest bail petition. Talib tampered with the judge’s order and replaced the word “dismissed” with “accepted”, he alleged. As Talib signed his surety bonds, some lawyers checked with court staff and discovered that his bail plea had been dismissed, Basra said.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 19th, 2013.