Barrister Gohar Says Judicial Transfers Without Hearing Judges’ View Amount to Attack on Judiciary

Islamabad: Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has said that transferring judges based on personal preference without hearing their viewpoint is equivalent to an attack on the judiciary.
Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad alongside Barrister Ali Zafar, he said that the transfer of judges was approved by majority in the Judicial Commission meeting.
He argued that such transfers go against the concept of an independent judiciary, adding that the number of judges in all high courts is already complete. He further stated that transferring judges amounts to dividing the judiciary.
Barrister Gohar said rules should have been framed before any such transfers, noting that it was decided in the first Judicial Commission meeting after the 26th Constitutional Amendment that rules would be established first.
He maintained that judges’ transfers cannot be decided by any single individual, adding that the Constitution originally protected judges from transfer without consent. “Transferring judges without hearing their stance based on likes and dislikes is an attack on the judiciary,” he said.
The PTI chairman also raised concerns over the health of party founder Imran Khan, claiming he was brought to hospital at night for an injection and urged that his medical condition be taken seriously. He demanded that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi be treated by their personal doctors, calling proper medical care a fundamental right.
Barrister Gohar further said that Imran Khan’s family was still not allowed to meet him, adding that a country cannot function properly if a popular leader is “walled in.”