According to the lawyers, the filtration plant was being constructed with a Rs2 million grant under the Saaf Pani project of the Peshawar High Court, following a request by the District Bar to provide clean drinking water to people visiting the courts.
Dispute Erupts Over Demolition Operation
The dispute reportedly arose on Tuesday after Assistant Commissioner Abbottabad Afarsiyab Zubair Hindal, accompanied by staff, arrived at the site after court working hours and began an operation against the construction.
Lawyers said the officials attempted to demolish a wall of the filtration plant without prior notice. Bar officials intervened and allegedly stopped the demolition, leading to a confrontation between the two sides.
The lawyers subsequently staged a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office and raised slogans against the assistant commissioner.
Bar Announces Strike
District Bar President Imran Younis Tanoli, General Secretary Asad Khan Jadoon and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council member Muhammad Ali Khan Jadoon addressed the protesters.
They said construction of the filtration plant had been underway for around one and a half months and was intended to provide clean water to citizens and visitors coming to the courts.
The lawyers alleged that the assistant commissioner misbehaved with Bar officials when they sought an explanation for the operation. They announced a strike from Wednesday and gave the assistant commissioner one day to apologize.
The Bar representatives said that if an apology was not offered, they would consider filing a case and pursuing legal action.
Lawyers Report Injury During Operation
The protesters also claimed that a Sessions Court official was injured during the operation and said a report had been submitted regarding the incident.
The allegations made by the lawyers could not be independently verified.
Attempts were made to contact Assistant Commissioner Afarsiyab Zubair Hindal for his version of the dispute, but he did not respond to calls. His position on the allegations was therefore not immediately available.