Pak police registers FIR against Hafiz Saeed's lawyer

LAHORE: Pakistani police have registered a First Information Report against Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed's lawyer A K Dogar under section 420 of the Pakistan Penal Code for allegedly "defrauding public and courts".

Police in this eastern city registered the FIR following a complaint by lawyer Muhammad Afaq, who accused Dogar of defrauding public and courts.

He accused Dogar of illegally establishing a forum called the Pakistan Lawyers Forum and allegedly patronizing the criminal activities of another lawyer named Feroze Gillani.

Afaq alleged that Dogar and Gillani are involved in anti-state activities and had been hatching conspiracies to weaken the federation.

Afaq mentioned in his complaint that both lawyers had filed baseless petitions against President Asif Ali Zardari and levelled made-up allegations against the President.

Gillani was a petitioner in a case in the Lahore High Court against Zardari for holding the offices of Pakistan People's Party chief and President while Dogar was his counsel.

The High court had declared the holding of a political office by the President as unconstitutional.

Dogar described the allegations levelled against him in the FIR as "bogus" and claimed Gillani was a bona fide advocate.

He said Gillani got himself enrolled with the Sindh Bar Council and there was no bar on him practicing in any other province.

He further alleged that Afaq was playing into the hands of PPP leaders and described the registration of the FIR as an act of political victimization.