The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on Monday named six high court judges for elevation to the Supreme Court, while lawyers in Islamabad staged protests, demanding that the moot be postponed. The JCP meeting comes amidst opposition voiced by four apex court judges and also follows the recent transfer of judges to the Islamabad High Court (IHC), which was opposed by five IHC judges. The JCP, which approves judicial appointments, will finalise appointments for eight vacant SC positions. Under the much-debated 26th Constitutional Amendment, the commission was reconstituted to include four members of the parliament. According to a press release issued by the JCP, a meeting was held to consider the nominations for appointment of high court judges in the SC and, by a majority of its total membership, nominated six judges. The chief justices of all high courts except the Lahore High Court (LHC) were among the six judges chosen. These six judges are Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar, Justice Shakeel Ahmad, Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim. The commission – also by a majority of its total membership – nominated Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb as the acting judge of the SC. On the other hand, lawyers gathered at various locations in Islamabad, with the Lawyers’ Action Committee staging a protest near D-Chowk. Meanwhile, the entry route to the Red Zone was closed off with several other roads also blocked. Holding an Urdu banner reading “26th Constitutional Amendment unacceptable”, the demonstrators raised slogans against it. They also chanted “Azaadi” (freedom) and “Lawyers’ unity zindabad” (long live lawyers’ unity). Around 100 lawyers also gathered at Serena Chowk as the route to Nadra Chowk was blocked, adding that the Serena Chowk was also barricaded. Meanwhile, the metro bus service from Rawalpindi to Islamabad was partially suspended, with the capital administration “citing security reasons”. While the bus service from Rawalpindi’s Saddar station to Islamabad’s Faiz Ahmed Faiz stop was open, the service from there onwards to the Secretariat station was closed. PTI Senator Ali Zafar, who yesterday called for the JCP meeting to be postponed, and party chairman MNA Gohar Ali Khan boycotted today’s proceedings of the commission. Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Gohar recalled the letters written by some SC judges and Zafar and said he reiterated the PTI’s request that the meeting be “postponed for a few days”. However, Gohar added, as the JCP moot was not postponed, the two PTI leaders “did not participate in it”. The PTI chairman noted that his party had remained a “part of the process” of appointing judges despite opposing the 26th Amendment, under which the JCP was reconstituted to include more lawmakers. Speaking alongside Gohar, Zafar termed holding the JCP moot without resolving the issue of transfers to the IHC “inappropriate”. Moreover, PTI founder Imran Khan has called upon Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi to stand by law and justice. In an informal interaction with journalists at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, the PTI founder addressed the CJP, saying: “The nation is looking towards you.” Khan said he wrote two letters to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir “because all democratic avenues have been obstructed”. “The CJP needs to stand by law and justice,” said the 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician, who has been behind bars since August 2023 after he was sentenced in multiple cases following his ouster from power in April 2022. Blasting the coalition government, the PTI founder said: “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari and [federal] ministers are all fake. There is no hope from parliament.” “The parliament is not functional. It is a fraud parliament,” he added. Moving on to the stalled negotiation process between the PTI and the ruling coalition, the former prime minister said that he was not expecting any breakthrough in the talks. “I have told my team that the negotiations with the government are useless,” he added.