The Karachi Bar Association (KBA) has announced a nationwide movement to protest the appointment of ad-hoc judges in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

At a press conference, KBA Secretary General Ikhtiar Ali Channa condemned the appointment of retired judges as ad-hoc judges in the apex court. Such appointments on an ad-hoc basis are a violation of the national judicial policy, he added.

“The appointment of retired judges as ad-hoc judges on the Supreme Court bench is a violation of Article 179 of the Constitution, which states that the retirement age for judges is 65 years,” said Channa.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa has proposed four retired judges – Mushir Alam, Mazhar Alam Miankhel, Maqbool Baqar and Sardar Tariq Masood – for the appointment as four ad hoc judges for three years in the SC.

Channa was of the view that such appointments would have a significant impact on the fabric of the judiciary and society at large. He demanded that the SC should instead appoint all senior judges from the high courts to the SC.

The KBA also called for the top court to implement the directives given in the Al-Jihad Trust case. The association argued that the recent ad-hoc appointments go against the principles outlined in that landmark judgment.