Islamabad:
The official State Laws on Thursday told the Apex Court that the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) was not likely to convene a meeting in the near future to appoint a permanent president of the Superior Court of Islamabad (IHC).
A Constitutional Bank of five members (CB) of the Supreme Court resumed the audition of a series of requests filed against the transfer of three judges of three provincial superior courts other than the IHC and the subsequent update of the age list of the judge of the court.
The Ministry of Law of February 1 issued a notification for the transfer of Judge Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, Judge Khadim Hussain Soomro and Judge Muhammad Asif, respectively of the Superior Court of Lahore, the Superior Court of Sindh and the Superior Court of Baluchistan, Al IHC.
After this transfer, the IHC issued a new list of seniority, classifying Justice to tell as a senior judge of Puisne. Five IHC judges: Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Judge Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Judge Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Judge Babar Sattar and Judge Saman Rafat Imtiaz – Later presented representations against the Dowar Justice.
However, the then president of the Supreme Court of IHC, Aamer Farooq, rejected these representations. After the elevation of Judge Farooq to the Supreme Court, Judge Dugar was also elevated as the president of the IHC Supreme Court.
IHC judges, the founder of PTI, Imran Khan, and four different lawyers associations were among the seven petitioners who challenged Judge Aamer Faooq in the Supreme Court.
However, during the hearing of the case, the Bar Association of the Superior Court of Islamabad (IHCBA) told the bank directed by Judge Muhammad Ali Mazhar and comprises Judge Naeem Akhtar Afghan, Judge Shahid Bassan, Judge Salahuddin Panhwar and Judge Shakeel Ahmad who was withdrawing his plaque.
During the hearing, Pakistan attorney (AGP) Mansoor Awan told the bank that the judges transferred to the IHC did not want to participate in advice to represent themselves and agreed to accept what the CB did after hearing the requests.
At the last hearing, the lawyer of one of the petitioners, Munir to Malik, had declared that a notice had been issued for a JCP meeting that would be held on April 18 to appoint a President of Permanent Justice at the IHC.
The CB said that, in view of the meeting, the court had listed the case on Thursday (April 17). However, the AGP informed the court that the JCP met to appoint two more judges of the CB of the Court.
“When we ask him if any date for the JCP meeting has been solved for the appointment and/or confirmation of the President of the Supreme Court of the IHC, he categorically declared that said meeting has not been scheduled.
“[He said] The notice of the next JCP meeting issued for May 2, 2025 is only for the appointment/confirmation of the main judges of the Superior Courts of Peshawar and Baluchistan. “
The AGP also made that the entire registration belonging to the transfer of judges to the IHC will be submitted to this court through a concise statement.
This statement will include the summary transferred by the Ministry of Law to Prime Minister for advice on the president of Pakistan to obtain additional action in terms of article 200 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973. The CB will resume the hearing of the case on April 22.
