ISLAMABAD: A strike announced by the legal fraternity in Islamabad could not elicit a widespread response as the district courts and the Islamabad High Court, respectively, witnessed more than 70 and 80 per cent attendance on Monday.

The Islamabad Bar Council (IBC), the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) and the District Bar Association issued the strike call to protest the transfer of three judges from the Lahore High Court (LHC), the Sindh High Court (SHC), and the Balochistan High Court (BHC) to Islamabad under Article 200.

On Monday, the representatives of these bodies stood at the court entrances urging their fellow lawyers to boycott the proceedings. It may be noted that in a strike in May last year, lawyers had allegedly tried to stop their colleagues and litigants from entering the court, which prompted a strong response from Justice Babar Sattar who took notice of this practice and issued notices the bar president, Riasat Ali Azad, and the IHC registrar among others.

The security in and around the high court and other courts remained heightened due to the strike against the new judges. However, Justice Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro convened their courts whereas Justice Mohammad Asif, who was transferred from the BHC, was on leave.

Lawyers convention

Meanwhile, the lawyers’ representatives held a convention at the District Courts Islamabad. The lawyers opposed the 26th Constitutional Amendment and demanded the cancellation of the upcoming Judicial Commission meeting on February 10. The convention also announced a protest on Constitution Avenue on the same day.

Addressing the gathering, senior lawyers and bar representatives expressed concerns over what they termed as the “conquest” of the judiciary and media through recent constitutional amendments and legislative measures like the Peca Act.

The speakers highlighted that the appointment of judges should be based on merit and not political or institutional influence. Former Supreme Court Bar Association president Amanullah Kinrani said that the recent amendments were orchestrated to serve vested interests rather than judicial integrity. He said, “If today the target is prisoner number 804 (Imran Khan), tomorrow it could be Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari or Nawaz Sharif.”

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2025