• Lawyers oppose reappointment of retired superior court judges
• Demands cybercrime action against social media campaigns

ISLAMABAD: A joint meeting of all bar councils and bar associations on Thursday called for all vacant positions in the superior judiciary — created due to the transfer of judges from one high court to another — to be filled within one month.

The meeting further demanded that such vacancies should be filled by candidates from the respective high courts and that no fresh appointments should be made against those positions. It also stated that retired judges of the superior judiciary should not be reappointed after retirement.

These remarks were made by Pir Muhammad Masood Chishti and Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon while addressing a press conference at the Supreme Court building.

The meeting, presided over by the vice chairman and chairman of the Executive Committee of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), was attended by the president and secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association, vice chairmen and chairmen of executive committees of provincial and Islamabad bar councils, as well as presidents and secretaries of high court bar associations.

In a set of resolutions, the meeting expressed concern that certain political factions within the legal community were attempting to create chaos to pursue ulterior political motives and advance their political agendas. It alleged that such groups were using unethical and derogatory language against judges and the judiciary.

The meeting strongly rejected and condemned such statements.

The participants said merely enacting legislation was insufficient and stressed that authorities must ensure its practical enforcement through the prompt registration of FIRs against aggressors, the establishment of dedicated security protocols in courts, and the provision of police protection to vulnerable lawyers.

The resolution stated that implementing the “Lawyers Protection Act” in its true spirit would enable lawyers to perform their duties as officers of the court without fear, thereby preserving the rule of law and ensuring that every citizen receives fearless and fair legal representation.

The resolution said the establishment of a Federal Constitutional Court with equal provincial representation for hearing constitutional and political matters had been a longstanding demand of the legal fraternity. According to the resolution, such a court would also allow the Supreme Court of Pakistan to hear and decide public-interest cases more promptly.

The joint meeting demanded that Section 54 of the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act, 1973, be amended so that the power to suspend practising licences of advocates rests with the bar councils instead of the superior judiciary.

The meeting further demanded that cases be registered under the Cyber Crime Act against advocates or any other individuals involved in the character assassination of lawyers, bar representatives, or judges of the superior judiciary through social media, and that such cases should be tried without delay.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2026