Senior lawyer Hamid Khan said Tuesday while addressing a seminar in Islamabad, “What Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial doing is wrong,” reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
He said that former chief justice Gulzar Ahmed had also been doing wrong. “It is wrong to keep senior Supreme Court Judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa off the bench,” he pointed out.
“The threats that are being hurled at the judiciary are completely inappropriate. The Supreme Court’s decisions can be wrong or right. All of us lawyers stand with the Supreme Court. We will not tolerate the threats,” he stated.
He also advised the judges to put their differences aside.
He addressed the chief justice saying, “Justice Sajjad Ali Shah is retiring, and you have made him a member of the Judicial Commission for five days. It is a wrong decision to sideline Justice Qazi Faez Isa and make the five-day judge a member of the commission.”
He added, “Justice Mansoor Ali Shah wants to become a member of the Judicial Commission, but he is not being allowed.”
He said, “The Chief Justice of Sindh High Court (SHC) is not being brought to the Supreme Court despite being a senior judge. Bypassing senior judges and appointing the junior ones will have wrong effects.”
He questioned, “Why is Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minullah not being brought to the Supreme Court? IHC Chief Justice Athar Minullah is an impartial and competent judge.”
He deplored, “You [Ata Bandial] are bringing the seventh judge from the Lahore High Court (LHC), but no judge from the Islamabad High Court (IHC). Is this your justice?”
He stressed, “The Judicial Council meeting should be adjourned soon. In Supreme Court, there should be a representation of every high court and every province. Taking the seventh judge from the Lahore High Court (LHC), but not taking the first judge from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and the third judge from the Peshawar High Court (PHC) is not appropriate.”
He said, “We appeal to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to do justice. You have been appointed for dispensing justice.”
On the occasion, Hamid Khan also pointed out: “Disagreement with the judges has its own place, but there should be no disrespect for the Supreme Court. We only want reforms in the judiciary.”
He added, “If a judge does not do justice with his institution, how he will do justice to anyone else. We want appointment of judges in the Supreme Court on the basis of seniority.”
Reporter: Ehtisham Kiyani