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       GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan Bar Council on Sunday demanded that vacant positions in the region’s Supreme Appellate Court be filled with lawyers on merit, rather than appointing retired judges, warning that any such appointments would be rejected.

       During a council meeting chaired by its vice chairman in Gilgit, the council passed a resolution announcing the extension of its ongoing strike until April 26, expressing dissatisfaction with the government’s failure to meet lawyers’ demands.

       The GB Supreme Appellate Court Bar Association, GB High Court Bar Association, and various district bar associations also announced the continuation of their strike until April 26.

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       At a press conference, GB High Court Bar Association President Tanveer Akhtar Advocate, GB Supreme Appellate Court Bar Association General Secretary Javed Iqbal and others criticised the federal and GB governments for not taking the matter seriously.

       They said GB lawyers had been boycotting court proceedings across the region — except for emergency cases — from November last year to April this year.

       Senior lawyer Islam Advocate said the government, after accepting the lawyers’ demands, had shown reluctance in resolving the matter. He said judges in the GB Supreme Appellate Court had previously been appointed from among retired judges — a practice rejected by the lawyers.

       He added that the legal fraternity unanimously demanded that vacant positions be filled from among lawyers on merit.

       He said the GB Supreme Appellate Court had not been functional for the past seven years due to the non-appointment of judges, as only one judge was available who could not hear cases alone. Thousands of cases have remained pending in the court for the past eight years.

       Adnan Hussain Advocate said special courts, including labour, consumer, and family courts, had not yet been established in GB, and related cases were being referred to civil or session courts.

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       He said lawyers had also demanded the advertisement of vacant civil judge positions, and called for the separation of judicial magistrate posts from civil judge posts, as practiced in other parts of the country, with appointments made from the legal fraternity on merit.

       Lawyers also demanded that the Lawyers Protection Act be extended to Gilgit-Baltistan by the federal government, calling it essential for ensuring their safety and professional rights.

       They said the GB government had not incorporated their recommendations in the proposed land reforms. Lawyers’ objections were also ignored in the GB reforms draft, while mineral and mining leases were awarded to outsiders.

       Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2025