Staff Reporter:
QUETTA: The Balochistan Bar Council (BBC) has fiercely lashed out at the ongoing process for appointing judges to the Balochistan High Court (BHC). The council accused authorities of completely sidelining the legal fraternity and causing outrage by recommending an individual who has been in government service for nearly two decades.
Addressing a press conference in Quetta, BBC Vice Chairman Jadin Baloch, former Vice Chairman Munir Ahmed Kakar, and Executive Committee Chairman Ayaz Khan Mandokhail voiced serious reservations about the transparency of the judicial selection.
’A Mockery of the Legal Fraternity’
According to the council leaders, the Chief Justice was asked to recommend three names for the vacant positions at the BHC. However, the legal fraternity’s representative body was entirely left out of the loop.
Highlighting a specific grievance, Jadin Baloch revealed that one of the nominated individuals had spent 18 years working as an instructor in the government’s Manpower and Training Department.
”How can anyone justify nominating someone for a High Court judgeship who was holding a government job while claiming to practice law?” Baloch questioned. “The Balochistan Bar Council views this as a direct mockery of our dedicated lawyers and a blatant disrespect to their mandate.”
Adding to the criticism, Munir Ahmed Kakar pointed out that while the Balochistan High Court has 15 sanctioned seats, the council believes attempts are being made to install “dummy characters” who would compromise the institution’s integrity.
”The Bar Council is deeply concerned that there is an active effort to plant puppets in the judiciary who will follow external directives rather than delivering independent verdicts,” Kakar stated, questioning why the legal community is consistently being pushed against the wall.
Echoing these concerns, Ayaz Khan Mandokhail emphasized that a state without an independent judiciary cannot sustain the public’s trust in justice. “The mandate of Balochistan’s lawyers must not be treated as a joke,” he added.
Province-Wide Strike Announced
In protest against what they term an unconstitutional and non-transparent nomination process, the Balochistan Bar Council has announced a complete boycott of court proceedings across the province on Monday.
