Sindh lawyers urge Afridi to refuse CJP oath

The legal fraternity of Sindh strongly opposed and condemned the statements of Sindh Bar Council and Sindh High Court Bar Association welcoming the nomination of Justice Yahya Afridi as the next Chief Justice.

A statement signed by 228 lawyers from Sindh stated that the stances of lawyers' bodies were contradictory to the seniority principle, and a tacit approval of the 26th Constitutional Amendment.

The press statements are not reflective of the opinion of the legal fraternity at large and are also not the opinion of all the elected members of the Sindh Bar Council and the Sindh High Court Bar Association, the lawyers' statement mentioned.

"We ask the Hon'ble Justice Yahya Afridi to refuse to take oath as the next Chief Justice of Pakistan as not only a symbolic gesture of denouncing this (un)constitutional amendment, but also so that the senior most Judge is appointed as the next Chief Justice of Pakistan," read the statement.

The lawyers' fraternity from Sindh stated it is also deeply concerning that the Parliamentary Committee has selected the third judge (on seniority list) without disclosing any criteria.