Islamabad: A lawyer of former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf was Wednesday barred from entering a special court here trying the former army chief for high treason.
Rana Ijaz said outside the court Wednesday that he has been told to tender an apology for his attitude during court proceedings Tuesday and, when he refused, he was barred from entering the court, Dawn online reported.
He said he would not be allowed to defend Musharraf.
Ijaz was Tuesday asked by the special court’s Justice Faisal Arab to leave the courtroom following his misdemeanor during the hearing.
A law minister of Punjab during the Musharraf regime, Ijaz Tuesday said he had received “life threats from Lyari gang” and presumed that Justice Arab was behind them.
Tuesday’s commments came after Ijaz had accused the judges of playing the role of hired assassins Feb 21, and warned of terror attacks on them and some lawyers he did not identify March 4.
“We don’t want to listen (or hear) to this nonsense,” Justice Arab Tuesday after lawyer Ijaz suddenly took the rostrum after a break in the proceedings and launched into a harangue.
“I received a message on my cellphone from Lyari Gang and they threatened to eliminate me as I remain impolite for Justice Arab,” Ijaz was quoted as saying.
“Since I have been threatened because of Justice Arab, a criminal case should be registered against My Lord,” he added.
After tensions in the court rose to a considerable level, the judge ordered securitymen to take the lawyer out of the court room and ordered him to tender an apology.
Ijaz refused to tender the apology as sought.
“This is not a court; it is rather a slaughter house,” he shouted in the court.
“An advocate is supposed to represent his client.
We don’t expect that Musharraf ever advised him to do so,” a composed Justice Arab said.
“A lawyer needs to confine himself to arguments. In my nine years career as judge, I have never seen this sort of conduct from a lawyer,” he added. (IANS)