GUJRAT: Kharian Saddar police have booked four lawyers, including the general secretary and joint secretary of the Tehsil Bar Association (TBA), on charges of assaulting a senior official of the Arazi Record Centre (ARC) over a land record correction dispute.
In protestagainstthe registration of the case, the Gujrat District Bar Association (DBA) and the tehsil bar of Kharian and Sara-i-Alamgir observed a strike on Wednesday.
According to the FIR, Assistant Director Land Record (ADLR) Akif Javed alleged that lawyers Waqar Amjad, Mohsin, Syed Hassam, Syed Mohsin Naveed and an unidentified accomplice entered his office on July 28 carrying clubs.
The complainant alleged that the lawyers pressured him to process a land record matter without following the prescribed legal procedure. When he refused, they allegedly assaulted him, confined him in his office and threatened him with serious consequences.
Mr Javed further alleged that the accused vandalised office furniture, computers and other government property.
On the complaint of the ADLR, police registered a case against the four nominated suspects and one uni-dentified accomplice under Sections 6 and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, and Sections 506(ii), 353, 342, 427 and 186 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Police said raids had been conducted to arrest the suspects, but no arrests had been made so far.
Meanwhile, the legal fraternity across the district observed a strike, terming the FIR false and politically motivated. In a statement, Gujrat DBA Se cretary Mirza Kashif demanded that the case against the lawyers be withdrawn and called for the removal of the ADLR and other ARC officials, alleging misconduct on their part.
A delegation of senior lawyers, led by Gujrat DBA President Syed Fida Abbas and Kharian TBA President Chaudhary Khalid Hussain, met Deputy Commissioner Nurulain Qureshi and District Police Officer Akhtar Farooq, demanding the cancellation of the FIR and action against the ARC officials.
Official sources said the district administration declined to quash the case but assured the lawyers that an impartial inquiry would be conducted.
E-BUS SERVICE: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz virtually inaugurated the Green E-Bus Service on Wednesday through a video link, launching 77 modern electric buses across seven districts of Punjab,including Gujrat.
The e-bus service inauguration ceremony held in Gujrat, was attended by Deputy Commissioner Noor-ul-Ain Qureshi, Member Punjab Assembly (MPA) Abdullah Yousaf, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Qurrat-ulAin, Gujrat Assistant Commissioner Abdul Qadeer Zarkoon and other officials concerned.
As per officials, in the first phase of the initiative, 11 e-buses have been allocated to Gujrat and the fleet will be expanded to 28 vehicles by September, 2026. Initially, the service has been launched on the Gujrat-Mangowal and GujratDaulat Nagar routes, they add.
However, the sources say the service is also expected to be launched on two more routes Gujrat to Lalamusa and Jalalpur Jattan, after the arrival of 17 more e-buses.
They add that the Langey and Dinga routes may also be added later.
The officials say the fare of the e-bus service has been fixed at Rs20 per passenger on all routes. The buses are equipped with wheelchair ramps and other facilities for senior citizens and physically challenged persons.
The service will provide residents of the district with a safe, comfortable and environmentfriendly public transport, they add.