On Tuesday, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) nominated permanent chief justices for four high courts. The JCP meeting, presided over by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, was convened to deliberate on nominations for high court appointments.
The top judicial body has approved Justice Atiq Shah as the new Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court (PHC), while Justice Rozi Khan has been endorsed for the top position at the Balochistan High Court (BHC). Justice Junaid Ghaffar, the senior-most judge of the Sindh High Court (SHC), has been elevated as its new Chief Justice. Additionally, Justice Sarfraz Dogar has been approved as the permanent Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Justice Atiq Shah’s nomination garnered endorsement from 11 of the 16 commission members. He currently holds the position of the second most senior judge at the PHC. However, sources informed Geo News that Supreme Court judges Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Muneeb Akhtar opposed his nomination. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa law minister and two members affiliated with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) also voiced their dissent.
Subsequently, the JCP formally notified the Prime Minister’s Office of its approval for these permanent appointments.
In February, five IHC judges had moved the apex court challenging the appointment of Justice Dogar as the acting chief justice of IHC, as well as the transfer of three high court judges to their court. The plea was filed by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, and Justice Saman Riffat Imtiaz. However, the Supreme Court, on June 19, dismissed these pleas against the transfer of judges and ruled that Justice Dogar could continue to serve as IHC’s acting chief justice. Following this decision, the judges filed a review petition, which is currently pending.
