Pak: Balochistan Bar Council announces province-wide court boycott over recruitment concerns

Balochistan [Pakistan], September 7 (ANI): The Balochistan Bar Council has announced a province-wide strike and boycott of courts to protest what it described as serious irregularities in recruitment procedures at the Balochistan High Court and district courts, Dawn reported,
According to Dawn, the decision follows growing concerns within the legal community over the transparency and conduct of recruitment exercises currently being carried out across the province. The Bar Council has strongly objected to alleged voice messages attributed to the Balochistan High Court registrar, which were reportedly circulated among district and sessions judges and other officials involved in the recruitment process. The Balochistan Bar Council said the alleged messages amounted to unwarranted interference in the functioning of judicial administration. It claimed that district and sessions judges had been instructed to refrain from announcing recruitment results and to forward candidates’ test papers, selection lists and other related documents to the High Court administration for scrutiny before the results could be finalised. 
The allegations have also prompted questions over the authority and independence of the relevant recruitment committees. The Bar Council has specifically raised concerns regarding the powers granted to these committees under Rules 7 and 10 of the Balochistan Judiciary Staff Service Rules, 2021. The Balochistan Bar Council said it had been monitoring recruitment activities in the Balochistan High Court as well as district courts for some time and had previously raised allegations of procedural violations and corruption.
In its latest statement, the Bar Council demanded an immediate halt to all recruitment processes presently underway in the High Court and district judiciary. It called for an independent and impartial inquiry to examine the entire recruitment exercise and determine whether rules and established procedures had been followed, as highlighted by Dawn.
The council maintained that a transparent investigation was necessary to restore confidence in the judicial recruitment system. The planned boycott would be observed across the province as lawyers seek accountability and greater transparency in appointments to judicial institutions, as reported by Dawn. (ANI)