Lawyers' sit-in enters sixth day over vacant judges' posts

A lawyers' sit-in outside the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister's Secretariat entered its sixth day on Saturday, as bar councils demanded immediate appointments of judges to the region's top and lower courts.

The protest, spearheaded by the G-B Bar Council, comes amid a growing backlog of thousands of cases and prolonged incarceration of under-trial prisoners. Lawyers say the judicial paralysis has persisted for over five years, denying citizens their basic right to justice.

At the heart of the crisis is the Supreme Appellate Court of G-B, the region's highest judicial forum, which is meant to have three judges but has been functioning with just one for nearly half a decade. "This is nothing short of a collapse of the justice system," said Advocate Zafar Iqbal, President of the G-B Bar Council, while addressing reporters at the protest camp.

The lawyers' anger deepened after reports surfaced that the government was considering appointing a retired judge to the vacant post. The bar council rejected the proposal, insisting that appointments be made from within the lawyers' fraternity.

Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan, however, defended his government, saying directives had already been issued to accept certain demands. He blamed the previous government for the prolonged delay in judicial appointments.

Adding weight to the protest, former chief minister Hafeezur Rehman also visited the camp and castigated both past and present governments. "In civilised nations, judges even remain available on weekends just to ensure justice," he said. "Here, years pass without judges. Those waiting in jails for justice — what will they do?"

The lawyers, backed by the Supreme Court Bar Association of G-B, have been boycotting court proceedings for months. Their charter of demands includes enforcement of the Lawyers Protection Act, establishment of family and consumer courts, and separation of judicial magistrates from civil judge roles. They also accuse the government of backtracking on a 2011 promise to allot land for lawyers.

Civil society groups have thrown their support behind the protest, warning that the vacuum in the judiciary risks deepening public disillusionment with the system.

The bar council has vowed to continue its sit-in until all demands are met.