Violent Clash Erupts Between Lawyers and Revenue Officials in Sahiwal’s Chichawatni

SAHIWAL: The days‑long standoff between revenue officials and the Chichawatni tehsil bar association turned violent when lawyers allegedly stormed the assistant commissioner’s office.

During the incident, lawyers reportedly damaged furniture, tore official documents and threatened subordinate staff, while members of the tehsil bar association allegedly abducted Patwari Muhammad Zulqarnain and subjected him to torture.

He was later recovered by police, elite forces and the Pera unit, after which Chichawatni City Police filed a case against 60‑70 lawyers based on Zulqarnain’s complaint.

This marked the second FIR against lawyers in as many days; earlier, City Police had booked advocates Tajmal Hussain Chadhar, Sohail Iqbal, Ihsan Farid and four unidentified persons on the complaint of Naib Tehsildar Ghulam Mustafa.

The latest FIR alleges that nearly 100 lawyers, armed with sticks, rods and bamboo, gathered outside Assistant Commissioner Javed Lakhwaera’s office. Eyewitnesses said heated exchanges preceded the lawyers’ forced entry, while revenue staff resisted, leading to a confrontation that lasted roughly fifty minutes.

Before departing, the lawyers allegedly locked the revenue offices with padlocks they had brought, which revenue staff later broke open with hammers to resume work. Reports also indicate that lawyers attempted to seize and tear official records.

Chichawatni DSP Saleem Rath stated that 60‑70 police personnel had been deployed around the AC office and tehsil court premises for security. He added that no lawyer had been arrested and several had secured bail in earlier cases.

Eyewitnesses noted that all revenue and judicial work came to a standstill, leaving thousands of citizens stranded in courts as lawyers held internal meetings.

Meanwhile, the tehsil bar association continued its boycott and protest, while patwaris observed a pen‑down strike.

Assistant Commissioner Javed Lakhwaera told Dawn by phone that the situation remains “non‑negotiable” with “no improvement,” and that the matter had been reported to district and divisional administration.

Sahiwal District Bar Association President Marth Saeed Saghla said they were observing a complete strike and had called a lawyers’ convention for Monday to address the issue.

Chichawatni Tehsil Bar President Sajjad Iqbal Gujjar blamed revenue officials for the fault and accused the administration of failing to de‑escalate the situation. He said lawyers sought a peaceful resolution, but the district administration was using coercive measures against them, noting that two FIRs had been filed against them on the DC’s instructions.

Repeated attempts by Dawn to reach Deputy Commissioner Sami Ullah Farooq went unanswered.

The dispute began two days earlier when Naib Tehsildar Ghulam Mustafa was conducting routine court proceedings and Advocate Tajmal Hussain sought his attention, which was refused, sparking a heated exchange. Tajmal allegedly summoned colleagues who stormed the revenue office and assaulted the officer.

Following the incident, patwaris staged a strike in support of the revenue officer, while the tehsil bar backed the lawyers. Both sides passed separate resolutions condemning the other.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2026

Source link