Islamabad, Feb 10: Hundreds of lawyers on Monday staged protests in Pakistan’s national capital against a high-level meeting of a constitutional body with the agenda to appoint at least eight judges of the Supreme Court.
The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) meeting was being held despite opposition by four apex court judges, the legal fraternity, resistance by opposition the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and controversy over the recent transfer of judges to the Islamabad High Court (IHC), which was opposed by five IHC judges.
The JCP, a top body empowered to approve judicial appointments, will finalise appointments for eight vacant Supreme Court judges.
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Lawyers gathered at various locations in Islamabad, with the Lawyers’ Action Committee staging a protest near D-Chowk. But police responded by closing several key entry points to the Red Zone, which houses key buildings, including the Supreme Court.
Dozens of protestors gathered at Serena Chowk as they were stopped from going to the Supreme Court due to the closure of the Red Zone. They chanted Azaadi (freedom) and Lawyers’ unity zindabad (long live lawyers’ unity). They were also holding a banner written in Urdu and reading 26th Constitutional Amendment unacceptable.
Clashes were also reported between lawyers and police when they tried to enter the Red Zone. However, there was no report of any arrest or injury during the protest.
The protest led to the suspension of Metro bus services on multiple routes between Islamabad and Rawalpindi, causing significant inconvenience for commuters. The closure of the Red Zone has caused traffic disruptions, leading to heavy congestion on different roads in the capital.
Earlier, the legal fraternity in the country was already expressing concerns against the new appointments and transfers following the controversial 26th Constitutional Amendment passed last year.
The lawyers’ representatives had held a convention at the Islamabad District Courts, opposing the 26th Amendment and demanding the cancellation of the JCP meeting.
They also announced on Feb 3 to protest against the transfer of three high court judges to the IHC but it could not elicit a widespread response. The Karachi Bar Association had supported the strike call by staying away.
Last month, the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) moved an application before the apex court through Advocate Muhammad Waqar Rana, seeking postponement of the JCP meeting.
The JCP earlier this month asked all high courts to send a list of five senior judges from each for consideration for the appointment of eight of them to the Supreme Court.
Initially, the IHC had forwarded the names of three judges Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb to the JCP because Justices Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri and Babar Sattar did not meet the minimum requirement of five years of service.
However, as Justice Sarfraz Dogar was made the IHC senior puisne judge following his transfer there from the Lahore High Court, his name has also been sent to the JCP.
Days before Justice Dogar’s name was added, five judges of the IHC approached Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq to reclaim their seniority.
Separately, four SC judges, senior puisne judge Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Ayesha Malik and Justice Athar Minallah, in a letter to the chief justice showed concerns last week and are also seeking the postponement of today’s JCP session until a decision is made on the petitions against the 26th Amendment.
The opposition PTI party in a letter to the chief justice on Sunday asked to postpone the commission’s meeting.
The 13-member JCP is led by the chief justice and includes four judges of the apex court, as well as parliamentarians from both the treasury and opposition and others.
The lawyers and opposition allege that the government was trying to pack’ the top judiciary with hand-picked judges to influence the fate of political cases, a concern rejected by the government. (PTI)
