As lawyers take to streets of the federal capital against the 26th Constitutional Amendment, heavy contingents of law enforcement have been deployed to seal the Red Zone and restrict access to the Supreme Court.

 

As per the details, the metro bus service connecting Rawalpindi and Islamabad has also partially been suspended whereas containers and barriers have been erected at Serena Chowk, Nadra Chowk, Marriott Hotel, Express Chowk and T-Cross Bari Imam. The Jinnah Underpass has also been blocked.

 

The closures come as lawyers protest against the 26th Constitutional Amendment, demand that the Judicial Commission of Pakistan’s (JCP) meeting scheduled for today (Monday) be called off, no new judicial appointments be made till the case pertaining to the amendment is decided and the senior-most judge of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) be made its chief justice.

 

While six leading bar associations, including representatives of 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, have condemned the protests, saying that political groups within the legal community were attempting to advance their agendas, senior lawyers, including Ali Ahmad Kurd maintain they are demanding independence of judiciary.

 

A viral video showed Kurd asking cops in Islamabad to let the lawyers head to the IHC. “We are going to Islamabad High Court… our friends are waiting there,” he said.

 

Speaking to media, Kurd said that he would continue to stand by the lawyers on the issue. “Being in power does not make people great. Those who passed the amendment at 2:00 in the night should be ashamed of themselves. We don’t accept the amendment,” he said.

 

Other senior lawyer, including those affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), have also voiced support for the protesters and their demands.

 

While another viral video showed lawyers clashing with police on the roads of the federal capital, the aforementioned bar associations have endorsed the 26th Amendment and subsequent legislation, saying they consider them integral parts of the Constitution.

 

The protests come as the JCP gears up to meet today and consider the elevation of eight high court judges to the apex court despite calls from some judges and sections of the legal community to defer the same.

 

Earlier, four apex court judges, including two commission members, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Munib Akhtar, wrote to Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, who also heads the JCP, requesting a postponement. 

 

The top judge leads the 13-member JCP that includes four judges of the apex court and parliamentarians from both the treasury and opposition benches.