On Friday, police raided the house of barrister and nephew of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Hassan Niazi, who was a participant of the lawyers’ riot against the Punjab Institute of Cardiology yesterday.
Following the violent attack on doctors at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, police have been stepping up efforts to arrest all lawyers involved in the incident.
According to lawyers, the purpose of the violent attack yesterday was to avenge a fellow advocate after he was tortured in a physical assault by a doctor at the PIC.
When footage of yesterday’s riot was aired on television and clips surfaced on social media, Hassan Niazi was identified as one of the lawyers participating in the violent attacks. Niazi is a barrister and the nephew of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In the aftermath of the riot, he expressed his regret in being involved in the incident via Twitter.
Following yesterday’s attack, police have been arresting all the lawyers who participated in the event. Police raided the barrister’s residence today but he was not home at the time of the raid. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
At least three patients died during the mob attack on the hospital.
The rampaging lawyers thrashed medical staff and attendants and vandalised the hospital. The mob also roughed up provincial information minister Fayaz-ul-Hasan Chauhan when he got to the scene and tried to negotiate with the lawyers.
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s office launched an investigation into the incident. “It is a shame that some people would go and attack a hospital,” his spokesperson Nadeem Afzal Chan said.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government pledged not to spare the lawyers involved in the attack, saying that it would not give in to pressure from bar associations to withdraw the cases registered against the rioters.
At least two cases were registered on a range of charges including terrorism, unlawful assembly and murder. More than 250 lawyers have been booked under the anti-terrorism act.
