Judges’ appointment to SC: Govt seeks legal fraternity’s input

ISLAMABAD: The federal government Tuesday sought input from the legal fraternity on appointment of judges to the Supreme Court with the request that a proper criteria needed to be set for consideration of Judicial Commission of Pakistan which was meeting on September 9. The Pakistan Bar Council and Supreme Court Bar Association had been protesting against the appointment of judges to the apex court calling it against the principle of seniority already held by the apex court judgments. It had also announced to hold a lawyer convention on September 9 on the apex court premises the day when the chief justice of Pakistan had convened a meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan to deliberate over the elevation of Justice Ayesha Malik, judge of the Lahore High Court to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. In order to defuse the pressure being exerted by the legal fraternity, Attorney General for Pakistan Khalid Javed wrote a letter to Vice Chairman of Pakistan Bar Council Khushdil Khan and President Supreme Court Bar Association Abdul Latif Afridi seeking their input on the issue. “The appointment of judges other than the most senior judges/Chief Justice of High Court to the Supreme Court has been under discussion recently and there appears a discord between the views of the members of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) and the Bar Councils and Bar Associations”, the AG wrote.