Today, members of Islamabad’s legal community staged a protest against the recent appointments of Supreme Court judges. The lawyers expressed concerns over the appointments of judges from the Lahore High Court (LHC), Peshawar High Court (PHC), and Sindh High Court (SHC), while senior judges from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) were overlooked. This decision, according to the legal community, undermines the judiciary’s fairness and disregards IHC’s seniority.
The protest coincided with the Judicial Commission’s scheduled meeting at 2 PM to discuss these appointments. Lawyers also argued that ongoing appeals related to the 26th Constitutional Amendment should have been prioritized before making any new appointments. Similar protests and strikes had been held earlier this month to voice these concerns.
The situation escalated as police and lawyers clashed at Serena Chowk when the protesters tried to breach the red zone, a restricted area often at the center of political protests, including those by PTI in the past. Capital authorities had placed containers at the site earlier in the day to prevent entry into sensitive areas.
Later in the afternoon, the Islamabad High Court Bar President, Riyasat Ali Azad, announced that the protest had been called off, though the underlying grievances remain unresolved.
These events highlight ongoing tensions within Pakistan’s legal and judicial framework over matters of transparency, seniority, and institutional representation.
