Pakistan: Middle class gone berserk

Reported in Express (2010) from Sargodha, three lawyers went wild and thrashed four ladies till they were senseless. The matter arose during a hearing when there was bitter exchange of words between one lawyer Meher Hayat and the ladies. 

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: The Friday Times
By Khaled Ahmed | March 23, 2012

A logbook of lawyers' behaviour, rising to the moment when the lawyers threw flower petal on the policeman who killed Governor Salmaan Taseer

After five years there is nothing to report except bad behaviour. The movement has added panache to an assertion of dubious values, including admiration for the minions of Osama bin Laden and killers of the victims of Blasphemy Law. The ugliest aspects of middle class conservatism have been on display. Some judges who are simply lawyers-become-judges have joined the gangs baying for the blood of innocent victims of the 'insult' law.

The origin is indicative: as the twig is bent so the tree shall grow. Writ of the state is weak where they grow up in the mufassil areas, away from the big cities, coping with the three feudal appurtenances of power: landlord/politician, police SHO, and the local magistrate. The tyranny of the mufassil - based on a sociology of violence - is avoided if your son is inducted into police, into the local bar or the magistracy, sometimes as tehsildar if he is dull. If you are ideologically sure-footed you become a judge of the High Court or even rise to the Supreme Court.

Like all 'revolutionary' movements, the lawyers' movement too used threats, and actual violence, in some cases, to deter fellow-lawyers from 'disagreeing'. The experience was empowering beyond the decencies of lawful behaviour.

The lawyer and the journalist have collaborated in the public cause. Both are professional and in some ways immune from the acts emanating from the dark underside of the modern state in the third world. One avatar of the police is the evil jinn of thana that brutalises innocent but politically wrong citizens. This jinn walks in fear of only lawyers and journalists, the latter even getting a 'monthly' from him. Fear of lawyers and journalists can be sensed from the fact that nobody rents his house to them. No bank will extend them loans.

Here is a logbook of lawyers' behaviour, rising to the moment when the lawyers threw flower petal on the policeman who killed Governor Salmaan Taseer, and two retired judges of the Lahore High Court who offered to defend the killer in court. Three mufassil elements acted under a dreadful synergy in this crime: police, lawyers and judges.

Lawyer throws shoe at judge

Reported in Aajkal (2010) two lawyers in Sheikhupura Additional Sessions Court got out of hand when the judge did not grant bail to their clients. Rauf Gujjar and Raza Gujjar abused the judge after which Raza Gujjar took off his sandal and hit the judge on the face with it, bruising his forehead. On this all judges of the Sheikhupura court complex struck work and protested. The lawyers took out an opposing protest march.

Lawyers kill factory owner

According to Jang (2010) two wukla persons Nadeem Tahir and Naeem Sandhu in Gujrat got together with three other people to kill one Tariq Mehmood whose vehicle had upset their motorbike. The dragged the factory-owner out of the vehicle and killed him with bricks. This was the high-water mark of violence practised by lawyers in Pakistan.

Wukla violence reaches chief justice

Daily Pakistan (2010) reported that the wave of wukla violence that spread among the lawyers of Pakistan reached the court of the chief justice of Lahore High Court where strange-looking creatures called wukla broke the window panes of the chamber and made the chief justice escape along with other judges. Police came and did hatha-pai (wrestling) with them and arrested a hundred of them. The wukla wanted the chief justice to transfer a sessions judge. The Lahore High Court judges wanted to go on strike in protest against the wild lawyers but the chief justice persuaded them to carry on their work.

Wukla persons thrash women


Reported in Express (2010) from Sargodha, three lawyers went wild and thrashed four ladies till they were senseless. The matter arose during a hearing when there was bitter exchange of words between one lawyer Meher Hayat and the ladies. Hayat went out and called his friend lawyers for help. They came and beat the daylights out of the women within the compound of the district court.

Wukla praise Taseer's killer

According to Express (2011) 200 lawyers of Islamabad courts vowed to defend the killer of Governor Salmaan Taseer. They threw flowers on him as he was brought to the court and called 'sher aya' (lion is coming). The lawyers of Islamabad, already the city of Lal Masjid extremists, said they would defend the killer Mumtaz Qadri without taking any fee.

Going berserk in Sheikhupura

Reported in Jinnah (2011) wukla lawyers of Sheikhupura went berserk and destroyed the office of DCO and thrashed whoever came in front of them because the DCO had ordered the pulling down of their illegal offices in the precincts of the courts. In reaction, the civil servants thus threatened by the wukla assault struck work and locked up their offices.

Going berserk in Faisalabad

Reported in Jang (2011) a lawyer named Tanvir Sandhu went berserk at a Faisalabad court after the judge granted another date in a case he was pleading. Sandhu climbed up the stage and grabbed the judge by his neck and pulled him down to the floor. When an assistant tried to rescue the judge Sandhu gave him a few tight blows also. After this well-known-by-now conduct of the lawyer all the judges of Faisalabad laid down work in protest.

Going berserk in Lahore

Reported in Jang (2011) in the Lahore Sessions Court two wukla attacked a 70 year old man and his sons with such savagery that they began to bleed profusely (laho-lohaan). The lawyers were so enraged that they rained fists (mukon ki barish) on the victims and locked them up in a room. They were angered by the case brought by the victims against their clients. Lawyers as a community are said to have become violent.

Praying for Osama in Peshawar

According to Jang (5 May 2011) the pious wukla persons of Peshawar were so prostrated by the death of Osama that they offered a namaz janaza in absentia in the compound of the High Court. In Quetta popular cleric Maulana Nur Muhammad led a procession of youths condemning the killing of Osama bin Laden by Americans. Namaz was said for Osama by lawyers in Abbottabad too.

Praying for Osama in Lahore

The brave and fearless lawyers of Lahore High Court, also reverentially called wukla, were reported by daily Pakistan (2011) as gathering in the premises of the Court to hold a janaza prayer of the great son of Islam, Osama bin Laden. The funeral was organised by Hurmat Rasool Committee of the wukla persons. They were heard saying that after Osama's death the movement started by him will not die but will prosper.

Wukla make AC run for life

Reported in Express (2011) enraged lawyers called wukla in Urdu attacked the office of assistant commissioner (AC) in Mian Channu near Lahore. Because of the reputation of lawyers as violent community the AC ran for his life instead of allowing himself to fall into the hands of the wukla. The brave wukla became famous for their thrashing of people during the movement to restore the Supreme Court.

Going berserk at Lahore High Court

Reported in daily Pakistan (2011) two wukla persons thrashed motorway inspectors as they travelled to present themselves at the High Court Lahore. The two inspectors had challaned the car of Lawyer Muhammad Rafiq. At the court the wukla attacked them both and after wounding them made them run away at great speed from the Court. Victory went to the proud lawyers' community.

Doctors strike against lawyers

According to Mashriq (2011) doctors of Sheikh Zaid Hospital struck work against what they calledwukla-gardi (lawyers' hooliganism) after an incident at the hospital had lawyers becoming violent. The protest asked commissioner Lahore to immediately drop the cases registered against the doctors by the wukla persons.

Attacking the banking court

Reported in Mashriq (2012) a group of lawyers attacked an employee of the banking court of judge Naseer Ahmad and rendered him senseless. After the thrashing by aroused wukla the court employees at once locked up the banking court to avoid further damage at the hands of the lawyers.

Wukla persons beat up police

Reported in Jang (2009) a group of wukla (lawyer) persons attacked policemen in Garhi Shahu in Lahore and tore up their uniforms after the police tried to stop a lawyer Hassan from trying to buy ten bags of subsidised flour. The wukla persons then tried to get flour without standing in line. In the ensuing violence both sides thrashed each other.

Wukla persons strike again!

According to Khabrain (2009) Faisalabad sessions court saw a number of lawyers attack the police when it came forward to arrest a person wanted in a case. The wukla persons attacked the police and tore up their uniform. They caught one Saifur Rehman who was accompanying the police and made a murgha out of him before beating him with shoes.

Lawyer thrashes judge

Reported in Jang (2010) a Wukla person named Mian Liaquat thrashed a judge in a Faisalabad court after the judge turned down his plea to free his client on bail. The judge refused because the papers required for bail were not on record whereupon Mian Liaquat went up to the dais, slapped the judge many times before giving him a sound thrashing. After that, over 40 judges resigned from their jobs in protest against the violence of the wukla person. (Wukla person Liaquat later apologised.)

Wukla persons strike again!

According to Nawa-e-Waqt (2010) lawyers appearing for their client at a family court in Lahore attacked the opposite party recording evidence in the courtroom against their accused. On this, the wukla attacked the deponents and inflicted serious injuries on them till the blood flowed copiously.

Thrashing police officer in Islamabad

Reported in Jinnah (2010) wukla persons in Islamabad courts engaged the local police in a battle over the wukla chambers. The wukla persons attacked the SHO of Margalla and thrashed him thoroughly, injuring him severely in the process. After that the wukla persons announced strike at the courts.

Save judges from lawyers!

Reported in daily Pakistan (2010) wukla persons attacked the sessions courts in Lahore protesting against the conduct of Sessions Judge Zawwar Ahmad. They threw shoes at his car and locked his court to prevent him from entering. On this, other judges reached the place of incident and tried to defend the judge. After they too were surrounded by enraged and powerful wukla persons they threatened to go on leave for two weeks in protest because their lives were threatened by wrathful wukla. The lawyers have progressively grown violent after the Long March in favour of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.


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