JCP meets today for appointment of new Supreme Court judges

ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) with Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi in chair, meeting today for the appointment of new judges to the Supreme Court.

Stringent security measures have been taken after lawyers’ groups announced protest. Heavy contingents of police also deployed in the Supreme Court premises.

The administration has closed Jinnah Underpass with containers, only Margalla road has been open for vehicles to reach the supreme court. Long queues of vehicles witnessed at Margalla road with heavy traffic jam.

The Rawalpindi to Islamabad metro bus service has been restricted to Faiz Ahmed Faiz, while the Kashmir Highway to Pak Secretariat metro bus service has been suspended.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court Bar Association, the Pakistan Bar Council and four provincial high court bar associations have rejected calls for protests and strikes against the judicial commission’s session.

The officials of six leading bar associations have condemned the opposition to the JCP meeting.

They accused certain groups of lawyers attempting to advance their own agendas through the protest call. “Some miscreants want to create chaos for their interests”.

The lawyers elected representatives extend full support for the judicial commission’s proceedings, the lawyers bodies reiterated in joint statement.

However, four Supreme Court judges, earlier penned a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, asking him to suspend new appointments to the court until the decision on the 26th Amendment case is made.

The judges, including Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Ayesha Malik, and Justice Athar Minallah, expressed concerns that new appointments could create ‘controversy and undermine the court’s legitimacy’.

The judges argued that the appointment of new judges could be perceived as “court packing” and may impact the outcome of the 26th Amendment case. They also pointed out that the Islamabad High Court’s seniority list has been altered without the judges taking oath, which is a ‘mandatory’ requirement.

The judges also requested that the Judicial Commission’s meeting scheduled for February 10 be postponed and that the appointment of new judges be delayed until the decision on the 26th Amendment case is made. They also questioned why the court is being put in this situation and whose agenda is being served by rushing the appointment process.