QUETTA, April 24: PML lawyers’ forum in Balochistan has criticised lawyers for boycotting court proceedings and said that the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) should not be put under pressure through demonstrations outside the apex court.

Speaking at a press conference here on Tuesday, president of the forum Abdullah Baloch supported the presidential reference against the chief justice.

The judges of the Supreme Court (SC) are accountable before the SJC according to article 209 of the constitution, which was bound to hear the presidential reference, he said.

He said the constitutional matters pertaining to the judges of the apex court should be processed by the SC and SJC, adding that lawyers had no right to interfere in the SJC affairs by holding rallies.

Mr Baloch said that the opposition parties had their own political agenda against the government and the lawyers who were opposing the presidential reference were playing into the hands of these anti-government political groups.

He said the judges of the courts were not exempted from accountability and under the sub clauses of article 209 any citizen could register a complaint against a judge.