ISLAMABAD: Pakistani police fired teargas, baton-charged and detained dozens of lawyers who were protesting on Wednesday and tried to enter the building of a high court in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore.
Hundreds of lawyers had gathered outside the court building to protest the relocation of civil courts in Model Town. They are also demanding the dismissal of a terror case filed against fellow lawyers.
As the lawyers tried to enter the Lahore High Court building, police baton-charged them and fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse them. Video footage widely broadcast on Pakistani news channels showed dozens of lawyers being arrested and piled into police vans.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said she had directed Inspector General of Police Dr. Usman Anwar to “refrain from using force against the lawyers.”
“Lawyers must also resolve their matters with LHC amicably. For the safety of the citizens of Lahore, confrontation should be avoided,” she said in a post on X.
Speaking to media, a senior police officer said the protesters had pelted stones at the police and tried to engage them in a fight first, after which police were forced to use tear gas, water cannons and batons.
Speaking to Pakistani news channel Dawn News, LHCBA President Asad Butt said the lawyers’ protest would continue until all demands were met.
“The police have inflicted cruelty by using force against a peaceful march,” Butt said, adding that dozens of lawyers had been injured in tear gas shelling.
She demanded that the notification of the division of courts be withdrawn immediately and cases filed against lawyers be dismissed.
Speaking to Pakistan’s Geo News channel, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Faisal Kamran said while law enforcement had showed restraint, they would not permit any breach of the law.
“The police are demonstrating maximum patience and restraint,” he said, adding that one station house officer and one constable were injured as lawyers pelted officers with stones.
Protests by lawyers are relatively common in Pakistan and have been a notable feature of the country’s political and social landscape. Protests in the past have been sparked by a variety of issues ranging from judicial appointments and legal reforms to specific grievances related to court administration and the treatment of lawyers.
Police baton-charge lawyers, fire tear gas as protest turns violent outside Lahore court
https://arab.news/b3amy
Police baton-charge lawyers, fire tear gas as protest turns violent outside Lahore court
- Hundreds of lawyers had gathered outside Lahore High Court to protest relocation of civil courts, registration of terror cases against lawyers
- DIG Lahore says one station house officer, one constable injured as lawyers pelted stones, forcing police to use tear gas and batons
Pakistan’s Mahnoor Omer named among TIME’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026
- Omer moved a Pakistani court against the so-called ‘period tax’ in Sept. 2025 which has since sparked a national debate
- Taxes on sanitary pads in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to retail price, UNICEF says only around 12 percent women use such products
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani women’s rights activist Mahnoor Omer, who fought against taxes on menstrual products, has been named among the TIME magazine’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026.
Omer’s efforts have been recognized alongside 16 activists, artists, athletes and businesswomen in the TIME’s Women of the Year 2026 list, including Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Chloe Zhao.
Dissatisfied with the efforts to educate Pakistani girls about sexual violence, Omer founded the Noor Foundation at the age of 14 and held her own workshops with village girls about everything from climate change to menstruation, according to the TIME magazine.
Two years later, a conversation with a domestic worker about the price of pads made her realize that not everyone could afford these essentials. She moved a court against the so-called “period tax” in Sept. 2025 and the case has sparked a national debate on the subject, considered a taboo by many in Pakistan, since its first hearing late last year.
“A decade and one law degree after her interest in activism was sparked, Omer, now 25, is putting her passion and expertise to work in the name of gender equity,” TIME wrote about Omer on its website.
Taxes imposed on sanitary products in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to the retail price. UNICEF estimates just 12 percent of women in the country use commercially produced pads or tampons. The alternative, using cloth, risks health impacts including rashes and infections, and can make it impossible for girls to attend school while menstruating.
Omer’s suit, which awaits the government response, has sparked a national discussion. She says she spoke about menstruation to her father and male cousins, who thanked her for standing up for their daughters.
The 25-year-old, who is currently enrolled in a master’s degree in gender, peace, and security at the London School of Economics, sees this case as just the first of many.
“I’m not free until every woman is free,” she was quoted as saying by TIME. “I want to leave no stones unturned in terms of what I can do with the next few decades, as a lawyer for the women in my country and gender minorities in general.”
