ISLAMABAD, March 2: A spokesman for the Ministry of Law and Justice termed ‘misleading and unfounded’ the contents of a news item appearing in a section of the Press giving an erroneous impression that the new appointments of Lahore High Court judges was unconstitutional.

Clarifying the actual position, he said on Saturday that there was a sanctioned strength of 50 judges in the high court, against which 37 judges were working.

Out of which 34 judges were from Bar and following judges were from service including Mr Justice Ali Nawaz Chohan, Mr Justice Mian Muhammad Jehangir and Mr Justice Mehmood Akhtar Shahid Siddiqui.

The recent appointment of five judges from the lower judiciary was not too much as compared to the sitting judges from Bar in the Lahore High Court, he said.

According to the provisions, judges and additional judges of high court are appointed under Article 193 and 197 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

The five judges had been appointed by the President of Pakistan with the consultation of the Honourable Chief Justice of Lahore High Court in accordance with the Constitutional provision.

“ There is no provision in the Constitution with regard to consultation with the office-bearers of the Bar Associations, and affixation of 20 per cent quota for appointment of judges from the lower judiciary”, the spokesman said.

He also said the allegation contained in the news item that the government was ignoring Bar members in the matter of appointment of the judges in the higher judiciary was baseless.

“It is to clarify that still eight seats are lying vacant”, he added.—APP