HYDERABAD: Representatives of various bar associations of lower Sindh region have rejected the recommended elevation of lawyers as judges of the Sindh High Court (SHC).

Speaking at a press conference here on Wednesday at the local press club, they said the names of four lawyers, who were not residents of Sindh, had been recommended for elevation as ad hoc SHC judges following recommendation by concerned authorities through the chief justice of Pakistan.

They said Pakistan’s creation was based on the Lahore Resolution passed in 1940 when people of Muslim dominated areas consented to be merged together to form the federation.

They said the objectives of that resolution were not achieved and since then, Sindh had been suffering the most. They said its cities were occupied by aliens and sons of the soil were ignored on executive posts in the provincial and federal organisations.

They said the judicial history of the SHC regarding elevation of judges was replete with the cases of injustice with lawyers of Sindh, permanent residents of the province, who were indigenous people, but were always ignored.

They said the Urdu-speaking community, which migrated to Sindh after the partition, was also permanent resident of the province, therefore induction in the high court should be made from amongst such residents of Sindh.

They said the names of four lawyers - who are not permanent residents of Sindh in such list – was another example of neglect although there was no instance in which a permanent resident of Sindh was elevated as high court judge in other provinces. They said that even quota for Sindh’s lawyers for elevation in the Islamabad High Court as judges was also not ensured.

They were critical of injustices in the elevation of judges in the SHC in the previous three decades. They said that in the recent list, the four advocates likely to be elevated belonged to other provinces. They said bar associations of other towns/cities of Sindh should be taken onboard in the process so that competent, practicing and hard working lawyers could be elevated.

They expressed concern over the fact that lawyers of small towns/cities of Sindh were ignored on the ground that they lacked sufficient integrity. They condemned this tendency for ignoring such lawyers from Sindh and demanded their induction in the higher judiciary.

They called for preparing a fresh list for meaningful consultation with the Sindh Bar Council, High Court Bar Associations (HCBAs) and district bar associations (DBAs) failing which a protest would be held in Sindh.

Those who spoke at the press conference included Hyderabad HCBA president Ghullamullah Chang and General Secretary Altaf Sachal Awan, Hyderabad DBA General Secretary Ashar Khokhar and Sindh Bar Council members: Sajjad Ahmed Chandio and Mian Taj Muhammad Keerio.

Representatives of the DBAs of Badin Umerkot, Tharparkar, Jamshoro, Tando Mohammad Khan and Matiari were also present.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2022