Pakistan Bar Council to observe strike on day of JCP meeting

Islamabad: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) will observe a strike and completely boycott courts on the day of the Judicial Commission (JCP) meeting. 

This was announced by PBC Vice-Chairman Khushdil Khan. He said that the PBC will observe a strike on January 6 – which is the day of the JCP meeting – where the elevation of Lahore High Court (LHC) Judge Ayesha Malik to the Supreme Court will be considered.

Khan stated that Chief Justice Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed had already said that the matter of appointing new judges should be left to the incoming top judge.

He also said that he was unable to understand the purpose of appointing Justice Malik to the apex court, adding that women judges can be appointed to the top court, but seniority should be considered.

It is pertinent to note that the CJP had proposed Justice Malik’s name for appointment to the Supreme Court for the second time last month.

Her elevation had remained inconclusive earlier in September due to a divide in the JCP, with four members opposing and four others supporting her elevation.

The matter was then deferred by the judicial commission.

The JCP will reconsider elevating Justice Malik to the Supreme Court on January 6, 2022, despite opposition from the legal community, which believes judges should be appointed based on seniority.