Bars oppose LHC judge nominations

Three leading lawyers' bodies in Rawalpindi have rejected the recent nomination of nine judges to the Lahore High Court (LHC), alleging that senior lawyers from Rawalpindi Division have once again been overlooked in the judicial selection process.

The Rawalpindi High Court Bar Association, District Bar Association Rawalpindi and the People's Lawyers Forum (PLF) Rawalpindi Division have jointly called on President Asif Ali Zardari to withhold the appointment notifications and seek the minutes of the Judicial Commission meeting, along with the criteria used for selecting the nominees.

In separate statements and resolutions, the lawyers' associations claimed that despite repeated nominations, no lawyer from Rawalpindi Division has been elevated to the LHC since 2017. They described the continued exclusion of the division as unjustified and urged the Judicial Commission to convene a fresh meeting to ensure what they termed "fair representation" for the region.

The executive body of the RHCBA termed the alleged exclusion of the division's nominees "unconstitutional and discriminatory", noting that Rawalpindi Division comprises seven districts - Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Talagang, Murree and Mianwali - with a substantial legal community. It maintained that lawyers from the division have a distinguished record of legal practice and judicial service.

In a statement issued by Secretary General Qasim Mahmood Malik, the association announced that it would raise the matter before all available legal forums and continue its campaign until the division receives appropriate representation in the higher judiciary.

Meanwhile, the People's Lawyers Forum (PLF) Rawalpindi Division also passed a unanimous resolution rejecting the appointments. At a meeting chaired by its divisional president Syed Masood Shah and other participants urged President Zardari to refrain from issuing appointment notifications until the Judicial Commission's proceedings and selection criteria have been reviewed.

The PLF further announced that it would submit a dossier outlining its objections to President Zardari, Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani and PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, while pressing for a fresh Judicial Commission meeting to consider senior lawyers from Rawalpindi Division for the remaining vacancies.

Separately, District Bar Association Rawalpindi President Tariq Mahmood Sajid Awan, Secretary Qamarul Haq Niazi and members of the executive body also criticised the appointments, demanding that the Judicial Commission reconvene to review the selection process. They vowed to pursue the matter through all constitutional and legal forums.