Justice KK Agha was sworn in as a judge of the newly formed Federal Constitutional Court, and Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan was sworn in at a ceremony attended by senior members of the judiciary.
Other judges of the Federal Constitutional Court, Justices Aamer Farooq, Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Ali Baqar Najafi, were present on the occasion. Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar along with other IHC judges also joined the ceremony, while representatives of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association, including President Wajid Gilani and Secretary Manzoor Jajja, attended.
Read: Who is who in the first room of the newly formed Federal Constitutional Court?
Earlier, IHC judges Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan arrived at the event, followed by Justice Inaam Amin Minhas, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro and Justice Muhammad Asif.
Shortly after the Senate passed four bills linked to the 27th Constitutional Amendment, the government moved quickly to put the new judicial framework in place.
Justice Aminuddin Khan was sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court, and President Asif Ali Zardari was sworn in at Aiwan-e-Sadr.
In a related development, the President accepted the resignations of Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah, who resigned and called the amendment an affront to the judiciary and the 1973 Constitution.
Justice Aminuddin’s swearing-in ceremony began with the recitation of the Holy Quran, after which he pledged to respect the Constitution, follow the code of conduct of the Supreme Judicial Council and ensure decisions free of personal interests, fears or favors.
The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, Senate President Yousaf Raza Gilani, NA President Ayaz Sadiq, First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Cabinet members, COAS Field Marshal Asim Munir, CJCSC General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, parliamentarians and members of the legal fraternity.
Read more: ‘Amendment 27 to ensure justice’
Along with Judge Agha, six judges were appointed to the FCC under Section 175A read in conjunction with Section 175C. They include Justices Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Aamer Farooq and Ali Baqar Najafi of the Supreme Court, Justice KK Agha of the Sindh High Court, Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court Rozi Khan Barrech and Justice (retd) Arshad Hussain Shah, appointed after Justice Musarrat Hilali refused to join.
Of the appointed judges, Justices Rizvi, Farooq and Najafi took oath before Justice Aminuddin at the Islamabad High Court.
Judge Agha’s appointment brings the FCC bench closer to full capacity, and the government is now considering increasing the total number of judges from seven to thirteen, a move that would require new parliamentary approval.
