HYDERABAD: Two sacked civil judges staged a protest demonstration outside the local press club on Monday, threatening that if their appeals were not decided in next seven days they would commit self-immolation.

The former judges, Mian Fayyaz Rabbani and Ghulam Shabbir Soomro, said that the services tribunal be held responsible if they had to take the extreme step.

The tribunal refused to abide by the law on dismissal from service in their case, they claimed.

They said that they were sacked from service on the basis of “fake” annual confidential reports although relevant service rules clearly stated that a government employee must face inquiry before he was sacked.

The apex court had also given a clear ruling that no employee could be terminated from service without holding of inquiry.

They said that their appeals had been pending a trial for a long time and they were not being paid their salaries.

They were often called to the tribunal only to be told that hearing of their cases would not be held and they would be informed when their appeals were fixed for hearing, they said.

They appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to issue directives to the tribunal for deciding their appeals within seven days, failing which they would commit self-immolation.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2017