Describes latest development as ‘darkest day in Pakistan’s judicial history’
LAHORE:
The Lahore Bar Association (LBA) and the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) strongly criticized the transfer of three judges from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to the provincial high courts and the constitutional amendments, terming them as a threat to judicial independence.
In a press conference on Wednesday, LHCBA Secretary Qasim Ijaz Sammra condemned the transfers carried out without the judges’ consent, alleging that the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments had undermined the independence of the judiciary.
“Lawyers will raise a strong voice against these measures and continue their fight to ensure the autonomy of the courts,” he said.
LHCBA president Babar Murtaza said the legal community had opposed such changes for the past two years, claiming that the basic structure of the constitution had been changed.
He criticized the process of judicial transfers and warned that arbitrary seniority decisions could undermine institutional integrity. He also announced that lawyers would hold a protest meeting against the decisions.
LBA president Irfan Hayat Bajwa described the latest development as “the darkest day in Pakistan’s judicial history” and rejected the constitutional amendments outright.
He argued that petitions filed against the amendments were yet to be heard and claimed that even the Chief Justice of Pakistan had now realized a loss of authority.
