As the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) will meet today (Monday) to finish the names of eight judges of the Supreme Court, the lawyers in Islamabad organized protests, demanding that the meeting be postponed.
The JCP meeting is produced in the midst of the opposition expressed by four judges of the Apex Court and also follows the recent transfer of judges to the Superior Court of Islamabad (IHC), which opposed five IHC judges.
The JCP, which approves the judicial appointments, will end the appointments for eight vacancies of SC. According to the weakened constitutional amendment, the Commission reconstituted to include four members of Parliament.
The lawyers gathered today in several places in Islamabad, with the Law of Action of Lawyers organizing a protest near D-Cowk.
Holding a Urundu banner that said “the 26th unacceptable constitutional amendment”, the protesters raised slogans against him. They also sang “Azaadi“(Libertad) and” Lawyer Unit Zindabad“(Long Live Live Lawyers of the Unit).
Around 100 lawyers also met in Serena Chowk when the route to Nadra Chowk was blocked, a Dawn.com The correspondent reported, adding that Serena Chowk was also locked.
On February 3, the legal fraternity in Islamabad had observed a strike to protest the transfer of three judges of the Court superior to the IHC, but could not cause a generalized response. Karachi’s lawyer association had supported the strike call to stay away
The lawyers of the lawyers had also held a convention in the district courts of Islamabad, opposing the 26th amendment and demanding the cancellation of the JCP meeting today.
Last month, the Bar Association of the Superior Court of Lahore (LHCBA) transferred an application before the Apex court through the lawyer Muhammad Waqar Rana in search of postponement of the JCP meeting.
The transfer dating saga, SC
Earlier this month, the Commission requested nominations of all higher courts, requesting a list of five senior judges of each.
Initially, the IHC had forwarded the names of three judges, the president of the Supreme Court Aamer Faooq, Judge Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Judge Miangul Hassan Aurengzeb, to the JCP because the Judges Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri and Babar Sattar did not meet the minimum requirement of Five years of service.
However, as Judge Sarfraz Dogar became the judge of Puisne of IHC after his transfer there of the Superior Court of Lahore, his name has also been sent to the JCP.
Days before the name of Judge Dogar, five IHC judges approached the president of the Supreme Court of Pakistan Yahya Afridi and IHC President of the Supreme Court Aamer Faooq to claim his antiquity.
According to the representation presented by the judges, a judge makes an oath for the Superior Court in which they are appointed. In addition, he emphasized that according to the constitutional intention, a judge must make a new oath when transferred to another superior court.
According to this principle, the antiquity of a judge transferred to another superior court must be determined from the date of its new oath.
Four SC judges also raised similar concerns last week and are also looking for today’s JCP session until a decision on requests against the 26th amendment is made.
In his letter, the senior judge of Puisne, Judge Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Judge Munib Akhtar, Judge Ayesha A. Malik and Judge Athar Minallah had said that the only viable solution and option in the current circumstances to save the dignity The court was to postpone the JCP sitting.
The PTI opposition in a letter also urged CJP Afridi yesterday to postpone the commission meeting. The letter was written by Senator Ali Zafar, who represents PTI in the JCP along with the president of the party, Barrímor Gohar Ali Khan.
