ISLAMABAD: Six judges from provincial high courts have been appointed to the Supreme Court, following approval by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) in a meeting held on Monday. The session, chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, was conducted despite a boycott by PTI lawmakers and two senior Supreme Court judges.
New Appointments to the Supreme Court
The following judges have been elevated to the apex court:
- Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar
- Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui
- Justice Salahuddin Panhwar
- Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim
- Justice Shakeel Ahmad
- Justice Aamer Farooq
Additionally, the JCP approved the nomination of Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb as an Acting Judge of the Supreme Court.
PTI’s Boycott and Opposition
The meeting faced opposition from PTI leaders Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Senator Ali Zafar, along with Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Munib Akhtar, who all refused to participate.
PTI leaders argued that the session should have been postponed until pending cases against the 26th Constitutional Amendment were resolved.
- Barrister Gohar maintained that PTI had filed petitions challenging the amendment, making it inappropriate to proceed with judicial appointments.
- Senator Ali Zafar echoed these concerns, stating that the issue of judicial seniority remained unresolved and should have been addressed before filling Supreme Court vacancies.
- PTI also expressed support for the lawyers’ protest against the judicial commission’s decisions.
Despite these objections, a vote was held within the JCP, and the majority decided to move forward with the appointments.
Judicial Commission’s Process and Seniority Debate
In the lead-up to these appointments, the JCP sought nominations from all high courts, requesting a list of five senior judges from each.
However, controversy arose when:
- Islamabad High Court (IHC) initially nominated only three judges, as two others did not meet the five-year service requirement.
- Later, Justice Sarfraz Dogar from the Lahore High Court (LHC) was transferred to the IHC and added to the nomination list, altering the seniority structure.
This transfer led to objections from five IHC judges, who argued that a transferred judge must take a fresh oath under Article 194 of the Constitution, which would place them at the bottom of the seniority list.
Despite the ongoing dispute over judicial seniority, the JCP proceeded with the appointments, marking a significant shift in the Supreme Court’s composition.
