KARACHI: A representative body of all the provincial bar councils in the country has urged the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) to immediately fill several posts of judges lying vacant at the Supreme Court and high courts.

Members of the All Pakistan Lawyers Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee said that at present, two posts of judges were vacant at the apex court while appointments had yet to be made on several such posts at all the provincial high courts.

Addressing a press conference the other day at the Karachi Press Cub, vice chairmen of all the provincial bar councils of the country said there was a huge backlog of cases in courts across the country and asked the JCP to fill vacant posts at the higher judiciary for timely disposal of cases.

They were of the view that one judge each from Sindh and KP high courts might be elevated to the apex court on the basis of seniority.

They also condemned a conviction handed down to Rana Asif, a member of Punjab Bar Council, by the Lahore High Court for contempt of court and asked the government to amend the contempt law in line with modern era.

They were of the view that a rift was being created between the bench and bar and urged the Pakistan Bar Council and the Supreme Court Bar Association to play their roles in that regard.

They said that a meeting of the PBC had been convened for Dec 27 at Islamabad and warned that the legal fraternity would observe a boycott of courts if the apex body of lawyers could not address the issues of contempt proceedings against lawyers.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2022