Gilgit:
A sit-in of the lawyer outside the secretariat of the chief minister of the Gilgit-Baltistan began his sixth day, while the councils of the bars required immediate appointments of judges to the upper and lower courts of the region.
The demonstration, led by the GB Bar Council, is involved in the middle of an increasing backlog of thousands of cases and a prolonged imprisonment of sub-esssai prisoners. Lawyers say that legal paralysis has persisted for more than five years, refusing citizens their fundamental right to justice.
At the heart of the crisis is the Supreme Court of Appeal of GB, the highest judicial forum in the region, which is supposed to have three judges but which has been operating with one for almost half a decade. “It is nothing less than the collapse of the judicial system,” said lawyer Zafar Iqbal, president of the GB Bar Council, while addressing journalists in the protest camp.
The anger of the lawyers deepened after the reports surfaced that the government was planning to appoint a retirement judge to the vacant post. The Bar Council rejected the proposal, insisting that appointments are made from the fraternity of lawyers.
Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan, however, defended his government, saying that guidelines had already been issued to accept certain requests. He blamed the previous government for prolonged delay in judicial appointments.
Adding weight to the demonstration, former chief minister Hafezur Rehman also visited the camp and castigated past and current governments. “In civilized countries, judges even remain available on weekends just to ensure justice,” he said. “Here, years go by without judges. Those who wait in prison for justice – what will they do?”
Lawyers, supported by the association of the GB Supreme Court Bar, boycotted legal proceedings for months. Their request charter includes the application of the law on the protection of lawyers, the creation of family and consumption courts and the separation of judicial magistrates from the roles of civil judge. They also accuse the government backwards on a 2011 promise to assign land to lawyers.
Civil society groups have supported the demonstration, warning that emptiness in legal risks deepening the disillusionment of the public with the system.
The Council bar promised to continue its sit-in until all requests are satisfied.
