LAHORE - The Supreme Court Bar Association yesterday expressed serious concerns over likely appointment of two retired judges as adhoc judges of the Supreme Court and announced launching movement against such move.
On Thursday, Judicial Commission recommended names of Justice (r) Tariq Pervaiz and Justice (r) Khilji Arif Hussain for their appointment as ad hoc judges of the SC.
Talking to the reporters, SCBA Secretary Asad Manzoor Butt said adhoc judges could not be appointed in the light of judges’ case decision.
If SC wants to dispose of pending cases it should ask government for enhancement of number of judges in SC from 17 to 21 but adhoc judges’ appointment is not a solution to the problem, he said.
Former SCBA president Asma Jahangir said Bar would launch a protest movement against such appointments and would not accept adhoc judges. It is highly unreasonable for retired judges to look for jobs, she said. SC directed government to abstain from appointment of adhoc officers but it did not follow its own order, she added.
Aitzaz voices against capitalists: Pakistan Peoples’ Party Senator Aitzaz Ahsan has urged his party leadership to follow its manifesto by openly opposing unbridled capitalist system which is gripping the whole country.
He has also pleaded his party to make efforts to relieve the citizens from social and economic problems.
He expressed these views while addressing a ceremony organised by Peoples’ Lawyers Forum to mark 48th Foundation Day of the party held at Lahore High Court Bar Association on Friday.
Talking about the recent failure of PPP in local bodies’ election as well as by-election held in Lahore, Ahsan said the party faced huge problems in fielding candidates in recent election but the time will come soon when the candidates would like to get ticket of PPP.
He stated the foundation day was basically the day of self-accountability for the party to overcome. The party was labeled as ‘friendly opposition’ just for supporting the government to strengthen democracy, he said regretfully.
PPP Secretary General Sardar Latif Khan Khosa also spoke on the occasion. He pleaded the SC to decide a president’s reference pending against judicial murder of Zulftiqar Ali Bhutto to remove a stigma attached to the judiciary.
It was Bhutto who gave slogan of “Roti, Kapra aur Makan” to make Pakistan a welfare state, he said. He criticised those who talked about accountability but not for themselves but for others.