August 24, 2020
By Ahmed Saeed
LAHORE
A video of a woman lawyer from Depalpur was released recently on social media showing her in an extremely traumatized and upset condition. The video was made only hours after the lawyer Advocate Irshad Nasreen was dumped on the side of a road in a terrible condition.
According to details from an FIR that was lodged on August 22 by her teenage son, Advocate Irshad was kidnapped from Depalpur courts on August 15. This is in fact the second time that Irshad has been kidnapped since October 2019.
Only a few hours after the FIR was lodged, Irshad was found on the fringes of Mailsi, a town situated over 200 kilometres away from Depalpur. Her hands were tied behind her and she was gagged with a rope. The lawyer was rescued by some passersby.
Irshad’s condition was disturbing. In the video it can be seen that her eyes were glazed, and she could barely speak. She told her name and that four men had abducted her and tortured her. She also claimed in the video that she was a lawyer.
Nasreen was later shifted to Depalpur by th police and then to the District Headquarter Hospital (DHQ) Okara for medical treatment. According to the family, Nasreen is still in trauma and doctors have advised her not to speak about the incident.
According to the focal person of CM Punjab for digital media Azhar Mashwani, “Irshad is still recovering and will give a statement to the court tomorrow and nominate the accused.”
PREVIOUS KIDNAPPING
The first time Irshad Nasreen was abducted was in October 2019 when Nazar Farid, Shah Nawaz, and their unidentified accomplice had abducted her and subjected her to physical torture at Nazar Farid’s place.
According to the FIR of that case, Nasreen was in litigation with a lawyer, who allegedly tortured her, and forced her to sign blank papers. She was released after a few hours.
Members and office barriers of the Depalpur Bar Association have strongly condemned the kidnapping and torture of the woman lawyer and have demanded the authorities to probe the matter expeditiously.
Sheikh Zia ur Rehman, Secretary General of Depalpur Bar said that the bar officials have told the district police officer (DPO) that this was a matter of a woman lawyer and the lawyers’ community would not leave any stone unturned to get her justice.
“Although the police are fully cooperating with the family of the victim but if we observe any loophole in the police investigation then we will resort to extreme measures,” he said.
The lawyers’ apex body of Pakistan Bar Council has also condemned the incident and called on the authorities to ensure that violent acts against lawyers in the country are instantly stopped.
Vice-Chairman PBC Abid Saqi told Voicepk.net that the accused persons in the Nasreen’s abduction case should be tried under the anti-terrorism act. “We are also moving an amendment in the law that a violent act against any lawyer should be dealt with under terrorism charges,” he said.
Some senior lawyers have taken to social media and have demanded the lawyers’ bodies to try to enact lawyers’ protection act to prevent the occurrence of such incidents in the future.
On the issue of the lawyers’ protection act, Saqi said that the PBC can only strive and lobby for it but it is the parliament’s duty to make a new law. “But I will now start negotiations with the political parties for the early passage of the act,” he said.
