Three representative bar councils have announced a strike in the district courts and the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday, February 3, against “unconstitutional measures” undermining the judiciary and legal profession, Aaj News reported.
This was decided in a joint meeting attended by the representatives of the Islamabad Bar Council, Islamabad High Court Bar Association, and Islamabad District Bar Association.
The announcement comes a day after President Asif Ali Zardari approved the transfer of a Lahore High Court (LHC) judge Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, along with two others.
Earlier on Friday, five IHC judges on Friday wrote a letter to the chief justice of Pakistan and the chief justices of three high courts including Islamabad, Punjab and Sindh, raising concerns over the reported transfer of a judge from the Lahore High Court (LHC) to the IHC.
The bar associations criticized the government’s decision to transfer judges from other provinces to the Islamabad High Court, labelling the transfers “malicious.” They warned that such actions would create divisions within the judiciary.
Addressing the press conference, Raja Aleem Abbasi, Chairman Disciplinary Committee of the Islamabad Bar Council, stated that the legal community rejects these transfers, which they believe are politically motivated.
He announced a complete strike in Islamabad on February 3 and urged lawyers across the country to join the protest. Abbasi warned that the protests will intensify if the transfers are not reversed.
He also criticized the promotion of judges to the Supreme Court, accusing both the government and opposition parties of undermining the judiciary’s independence. He emphasized that these actions are driven by political interests and threaten the autonomy of the judiciary.
The lawyers demanded that a meeting scheduled for February 10 be postponed to prevent further division and interference in the judiciary.
Judges transfer
President Asif Ali Zardari approved the transfer of three judges to the Islamabad High Court under Article 200(1) of the Constitution on Tuesday.
The transferred judges include Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar from the Lahore High Court, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro from the Sindh High Court, and Justice Muhammad Asif from the Balochistan High Court.
Following the transfers, Justice Sarfraz Dogar will become the senior-most judge at the Islamabad High Court after Chief Justice Aamer Farooq. Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, who has been a judge for two years, will now rank above Justice Saman Rafat in the IHC’s seniority list. Justice Muhammad Asif, recently appointed as an additional judge in Balochistan, has also been transferred to the IHC.
Constitutional provisions
Article 200 of the Constitution allows the President to transfer judges from one high court to another, but such transfers require the consent of the judge and consultation with the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the chief justices of the relevant high courts.
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