26th Amendment: Lawyers end protest at Islamabad's D-Chowk

• Heavy police deployment outside Supreme Court premises.
• Jinnah Underpass blocked with containers amid security concerns.
• Metro bus service suspended from Faiz Station to Secretariat.

ISLAMABAD: A large number of lawyers on Monday gathered at Islamabad’s D-Chowk and recorded their protest against the 26th Constitutional Amendment.

Addressing a joint press conference, Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCA) President Riasat Ali Azad announced challenging decisions made during today's sitting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan.

The JCP meeting held with the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi in chair, approved the appointment of six judges to the Supreme Court.

The IHCA president called off their protest for today, saying that the lawyers would hold protests on a daily basis during the hearing of petitions filed against the recent Constitutional tweaks.

Representatives of all the three representative bar councils of the federal capital were present here, Azad said and announced launching a long march during the hearing of 26th amendment-related petitions.

“SC senior puisne judge Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah’s [towards the coveted post of CJP] was blocked from becoming the CJP via the 26th Constitution Amendment,” he added.

The same formula was being applied at the IHC, the lawyer added.

Earlier today, security tightened outside the SC as the lawyers had given a call to hold the protest outside its building against the 26th Constitutional Amendment and appointment of new judges.

A heavy police contingent was deployed within the Supreme Court premises, and only Margalla Road was kept open for access to the court. Two layers of security were in place outside the Supreme Court.

The lawyers protesting against the 26h Constitutional Amendment demanded deferring the judicial commission meeting scheduled the same day as well.

Despite the request by lawyers, asking the local administration to allow them to stage a peaceful demonstration and entrance into the Red Zone, the authorities blocked Srinagar Highway, Nadra Chowk, and Serena Chowk.

Clashes between the law enforcers and lawyers took place at Serena Chowk when the lawyers tried to forcibly enter the area. As lawyers from Sindh and Balochistan are also pouring in, they have blocked the route from the Srinagar Highway too.

On the other hand, some lawyer organisations rejected the protest against the judicial commission, saying certain lawyer groups were carrying out the demonstrations for their controversial political motives.

In a joint statement, the Pakistan Bar Council, Supreme Court Bar Association, Punjab Bar Council, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council, Balochistan High Court Bar Association and Sindh High Court Bar Association said they condemned the appeal to stage protests against the judicial commission.

They said they completely backed the judicial commission’s actions. “We fully support the 26th Constitutional Amendment and legislation after that and consider them a part of the constitution,” they said, adding that the right to give a call for protests was a prerogative of the representative organisations.

Three joint statements have been released in this regard by different lawyer bodies with the same theme.