PHCBA for appointment of CJ IHC from among high court judges

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) through a resolution sought that appointment of the chief justice of Islamabad High Court (IHC) should be made from the available judges of the high court on seniority basis.

However, the senior PHC lawyers in the meeting warned of a long march towards Islamabad if the rule of seniority was ignored and chief justice was appointed from another province. The PHCBA on Monday called the emergency general body meeting on the requisition of a senior lawyer Abdul Latif Afridi to pay tributes to the PHC bench that had turned down the decisions of the military courts.

PHCBA Secretary General Yasir Khattak presented the resolutions before the general body meeting that were passed unanimously. In one of the resolutions, the PHCBA hailed the decision of the PHC bench comprising Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Lal Jan Khattak for allowing 74 appeals against the decision of the military courts. Former PHCBA president and senior lawyer Abdul Latif Afridi, in his address to the meeting, decisions and assured full support to the high court for rule of law and historic decision, which restored people's confidence in judiciary and rule of law. Senior lawyers, including Muhammad Ayaz, Arif Khan Bannu and Shah Faisal Ilyas also paid tribute to the PHC bench for allowing appeals against the decisions of the military courts. The lawyers also expressed concern over the action only against IHC Judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui as references against other judges were also pending unheard in the Supreme Judicial Council.