ISLAMABAD:Lawyers across Pakistan went on strike on Thursday and boycotted court proceedings against the appointment of junior judges to the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP).
Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Latif Afridi informed Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed of the protest through a letter sent on August 21.
Today, the lawyers boycotted the court on the call of various bar organisations including the Sindh High Court Bar Association, Pakistan Bar Council, SCBA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council.
Due to the strike, counsels did not represent the petitioners whereas only government lawyers appeared before the apex court in two cases. The petitioners sat in the corridors of the court whereas the court staff kept calling the names of lawyers and clerks who did not appear.
A heavy contingent of police was also deployed on the occasion and the parking lot of the court was also closed due to security concerns as the lawyers gathered at the SC to protest.
They demanded that judges be appointed in the SC on the basis of seniority under the traditional procedure.
“Our protest is peaceful,” one of the protesting lawyers said.
In addition, CJP Gulzar Ahmed had summoned a meeting of the JCP today to consider Justice Ayesha Malik, who is number four on the LHC judge seniority list, for her appointment as a Supreme Court judge.
