BAHAWALPUR: The employees of the district administration and lawyers on Thursday held separate protests over an altercation between the additional district collector and ex-president of the district bar association (DBA), bringing the official work in the district departments as well as lower courts to a halt.

The district administration employees held a sit-in against the ex-president of the DBA, Malik Imtiaz Awan, for allegedly using abusive language and throwing a paperweight at Additional District Collector Imrana Ajmal during hearing of a case while the lawyers boycotted thecourts against the registration of a case against Mr Awan.

On Wednesday night, the Cantonment police had booked Malik Imtiaz Awan, expresident district bar association, and his three companions under various sections including that of 7-ATA (Anti-Terrorism Act) on the complaint of Khalid Mehmood, the reader of Additional District Collector Imrana Ajmal.

The row between Ms Ajmal, who also held the charge of the administrator, tehsil municipal administration (TMA), and Malik Imtiaz Awan and his associates had erupted on Wednesday when the latter appeared before the former`s court in a case.

During the hearing of the case, Mr Awan told Ms Ajmal that he did not want his case to be heard by her. According to the district police officer`s PRO, the FIR accused the lawyer of interfering with the official work and hurling threats at the additional district collector.

The PRO told Dawn the FIR also alleged that during the hearing, the law-yer told Imrana Ajmal that he did not want the case to be heard by her as he did not trust her court.

The lawyer attempted to snatch the case`s file from the additional district collector and exchanged harsh words with her. He also picked a paperweight and threw it towards Ms Ajmal but it did not hit her and she ran away to her retiring room to save her life.

The FIR further alleged after coming out of the courtroom, Imtiaz Awan along with his men also resorted to hooliganism and used abusive language, witnessed by the office staff.

In protest against the lawyers` behaviour, the sanitation staff of City and Saddar TMAs (Bahawalpur), employees of the Bahawalpur Waste Management Company (BWMC), members of the All Pakistani Clerks Association and the officials of the revenue department and the district collector office held a sit-in at the DIG Chowk.

They parked tractor-trolleys and other vehicles on the road and blocked it forabout six hours.

The protestersheld placards and raised slogans against the lawyers, demanding their arrest. With hours-long blockade of the DIG Chowk, the motorists and the pedestriansfaced hardships.

On the other hand, the members of the district bar association observed the strike and abstained from appearing before the courts in protest against the registration of case against Malik Imtiaz Awan and three of his companions.

According to the district bar association`s secretary, the lawyers would continue their strike on Friday (today). None of the lawyerhas sofarbeen arrested by the police.

District bar association President Syed Masood Gilani told the media the lawyers` demands included the transfer of Additional District Collector Imrana Ajmal and quashment of the FIR registered against lawyers.

Meanwhile, Mr Awan was granted a protective bail till sept16 by the Lahore High Court, Multan Bench.