islamabad - The Pakistan Bar Council yesterday demanded that judges’ strength in Supreme Court should only be increased after mandatory and purposive consultations with the apex court and the PBC.
The Senate on January 6 had unanimously passed a bill to increase the strength of judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in order to provide speedy and inexpensive justice to the people.
The PBC resolved this in a meeting held in the chair of Senator Barrister Dr. Muhammad Farogh Naseem, PBC Vice-Chairman, and participated by Abdul Fayaz, Chairman PBC Executive Committee, and Muhammad Shoaib Shaheen its member.
The PBC said it is a vital stakeholder in the administration of justice and the highest statutory body and regulator for lawyers and law colleges/universities in the country.
It further resolved that in case any legislative amendment brought to increase the number of judges in top court without the purposive consultations with the Supreme Court and the PBC, the Council would challenge such amendment on grounds that it was unconstitutional. The Council said after 18th Amendment the Pakistan Bar Council had an effective say in the appointment and confirmation of superior courts’ judges.
The PBC emphasized that in future all the appointments of ad hoc and additional judges of the Supreme Court be finalized after purposive consultation with the Council.
Meanwhile, a meeting of enrolment committee of the Pakistan Bar Council approved 10 lawyers for enrolment as advocate Supreme Court.
A meeting in this regard was held under the chairmanship of Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, and participated by Muhammad Shoaib Shaheen and Malik Ghulam Mustafa Kandwal, member PBC in Committee Room of the Supreme Court Building, Islamabad on Wednesday.
The committee interviewed 30 lawyers but found 10 applicants fit for enrolment as advocate of the Supreme Court, including Junaid Iftikhar Mirza, Jehangir Khan, Ch Riaz Ahmed, Raja Khalid Mahmood Khan, Muhammad Usman, Abdul Razzaq, Raja Amir Akbar, Ghulam Fareed, Raja Muhammad Shafat Khan and Raila Saboohi.
The cases of 19 applicants were deferred for further consideration in some future meeting as they were not found up to the mark. The case of another applicant was, however, adjourned being not present.