QUETTA: The Balochistan Bar Council (BBC) has announced a province-wide judicial strike and boycott of courts on Monday (tomorrow) in protest against what it described as alleged irregularities in recruitment in the Balochistan High Court (BHC) and district courts.

The Bar Council strongly condemned alleged voice messages attributed to the registrar of the BHC, reportedly sent to district and sessions judges and other concerned officials regarding the recruitment process. The council termed the alleged communications unnecessary interference in judicial administration and said they had raised serious questions about the transparency of the recruitment process.

According to the Bar Council, the alleged voice messages instructed district and sessions judges to withhold recruitment results and submit candidates’ test papers, lists and other relevant records to the High Court administration for prior scrutiny.

The council said such directions had raised serious concerns regarding the legal authority of the relevant selection committees and their powers under Rules 7 and 10 of the Balochistan Judiciary Staff Service Rules, 2021.

The Balochistan Bar Council said it had been closely monitoring recruitment processes in the BHC and district courts and had previously expressed concerns over alleged irregularities and corruption in the process.

It said the alleged voice messages had further strengthened its concerns and raised serious questions about the transparency and credibility of the ongoing recruitment process.

The council demanded that the recruitment process currently underway in the BHC and all district courts be immediately suspended and that an independent, impartial and transparent investigation be conducted into the entire process.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2026