One of the leading candidates served as an instructor in the government’s Department of Training and Manpower for 18 years.
QUETA:
The Balochistan Bar Council (BBC) on Saturday strongly condemned the ongoing selection process for appointments to the Balochistan High Court (BHC), describing the nomination of a long-serving officer for promotion as an insult to the legal profession.
At a press conference in Quetta, BBC vice-president Jadin Baloch, accompanied by senior leaders Munir Ahmed Kakar and Ayaz Khan Mandokhail, expressed strong resentment at what they said was the complete exclusion of the bar from the consultation process.
They revealed that one of the leading candidates recommended for the chief justice had worked as an instructor in the government’s Department of Training and Human Resources for 18 years.
They argued that elevating a government employee directly to the high court undermines the merit, standing and mandate of independent lawyers practicing across the province. The BBC also raised concerns about the wider implications of the appointment process for judicial independence.
He alleged that the induction of what he called “compromised individuals” was an attempt to pack the 15-seat BHC with complacent judges who would prioritize external directives over impartial justice.
According to the council, such appointments would erode public confidence in the judiciary and weaken the independence of the judicial system. In protest, the bar association announced a province-wide boycott of court proceedings on Monday.
