The Lahore Bar Association (LBA) and the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) strongly criticised the transfer of three Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges to provincial high courts and the constitutional amendments, terming them a threat to judicial independence.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, LHCBA Secretary Qasim Ijaz Sammra condemned the transfers carried out without the consent of the judges and alleged that the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments had undermined the independence of the judiciary.

“Lawyers will raise a strong voice against these measures and continue their struggle to safeguard judicial autonomy,” he said.

LHCBA President Babar Murtaza said the legal community had been resisting such amendments for the past two years, alleging that the basic structure of the Constitution had been altered.

He criticized the process of judicial transfers and warned that arbitrary decisions regarding seniority could undermine institutional integrity. He also announced that lawyers would hold a protest rally against the decisions.

LBA President Irfan Hayat Bajwa described the recent developments as “the darkest day in Pakistan’s judicial history,” rejecting the constitutional amendments outright.

He claimed that petitions filed against the amendments had yet to be heard and asserted that even the Chief Justice of Pakistan had now realised a loss of authority.