The Punjab Bar Council (PbBC) has barred lawyers representing actor Momina Iqbal and PML-N MPA Saqib Chadhar from speaking to the media regarding their ongoing legal dispute.
During a hearing on complaints filed by both parties’ legal teams, the disciplinary committee headed by Abbas Ali Chadhar criticised the conduct of the lawyers stating that a private dispute had been unnecessarily escalated into a matter of personal ego.
Both Momina Iqbal’s counsel, Advocate Rimsha Iqbal and Chadhar’s lawyer, Mian Ali Ashfaq, appeared before the committee. The chairman directed that no lawyer involved in the case should issue public statements stressing the need for professional restraint.
The proceedings also saw questions raised about professional conduct. Advocate Ashfaq was asked to present his Bar-at-Law degree, while objections were made regarding Rimsha Iqbal’s employment abroad during her legal enrollment. She clarified that her work in Australia was part-time and undertaken during her studies.
The committee further criticised the use of sensational language, particularly the term “honey trap” used during a media briefing questioning its appropriateness in a legal context.
The case stems from an FIR registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Momina Iqbal’s complaint, accusing the MPA of sexual harassment and blackmail. Saqib Chadhar has since obtained pre-arrest bail.
The council’s move signals an effort to curb media sensationalism and reinforce ethical boundaries within the legal profession as the case continues.
