Pakistan Supreme Court reporters boycott eviction notice

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 13 May 2026 |  JP Staff Report

Press Association of the Supreme Court announced a boycott of the Supreme Court Bar Association after lawyers issued a seven-day notice directing journalists to vacate the press room. Reporters said the notice was illegal and harmed press freedom.

Summary

ISLAMABAD—The Press Association of the Supreme Court on Wednesday announced a complete boycott of the Supreme Court Bar Association after lawyers issued a notice directing journalists to vacate the press room within seven days, escalating tensions over media access inside Pakistan’s top court.

In an emergency meeting held in the Supreme Court press room, the association unanimously passed a resolution declaring the notice illegal and describing it as an attack on press freedom and reporters’ access to judicial proceedings. Association office-bearers, including President Imran Waseem and Secretary-General Amanat Raza Gishkori, chaired the meeting.

Access dispute sparks backlash

According to the resolution, court reporters argued that journalists covering constitutional institutions, Parliament, and the judiciary are routinely provided dedicated access and facilities to ensure the public receives timely and accurate information about state affairs and court proceedings.

The association stated that the Supreme Court press room had been used by journalists for decades. It symbolized the recognition of court reporters as stakeholders in documenting and communicating major legal and constitutional developments. Removing journalists from the facility, the body said, would amount to erasing that institutional recognition.

The meeting further argued that the allocation or withdrawal of rooms within Supreme Court premises did not fall under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court Bar Association and described the notice as interference in the court’s administrative affairs.

Journalists warn against restrictions

The general body warned the bar association against taking what it called “illegal steps” and vowed to resist any attempt to forcibly vacate the room. The association also announced that journalists would defend their right to court access “at every level.”

Participants in the meeting recalled the role played by court reporters during the lawyers’ movement for the restoration of the judiciary in the late 2000s, noting that the press room had originally been allotted during the tenure of a former chief justice.

The association also expressed confidence in assurances given by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, although no further details of those assurances were publicly disclosed in the statement issued after the meeting.

The dispute highlights recurring tensions between institutional control over access and the role of journalists covering Pakistan’s judicial system. Court reporters regularly rely on proximity to legal proceedings, lawyers, and court administration to verify developments, gather reactions, and provide accurate reporting on constitutional matters that directly affect the public.

WHY THIS MATTERS: The confrontation underscores how physical access inside courts remains central to legal journalism in Pakistan. Any restriction on reporters’ working spaces or access to proceedings can affect transparency, real-time verification, and public understanding of judicial developments, particularly during politically sensitive or constitutional cases.

ATTRIBUTION: Reporting by JournalismPakistan, based on a publicly available statement issued by the Press Association of the Supreme Court on May 13, 2026.

PHOTO: Business Recorder