On Tuesday, the acting chief justices of all four provincial high courts were sworn in as regular chief justices. These swearing-in ceremonies took place a day after the Ministry of Law and Justice finally issued notifications for all four chief justices, following approval from President Asif Ali Zardari.
At a ceremony held at Aiwan-i-Sadr, President Zardari administered the oath to Justice Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar as the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC). Justice Dogar had been serving as acting chief justice since February. The ceremony was attended by IHC judges, Senate Chairman Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, various ministers, parliamentarians, members of lawyers’ bodies and the legal fraternity, law officers, lawyers, and mediapersons.
In February, five IHC judges had filed a plea with 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, on June 19, the Supreme Court dismissed the pleas against the transfer of judges and ruled that Justice Dogar could continue to serve as IHC’s acting chief justice. Subsequently, President Asif Ali Zardari formally declared Justice Dogar the “senior-most judge” of the IHC, following the issuance of a revised seniority list by the Ministry of Law and Justice. It is noteworthy that the five IHC judges have since filed an intra-court appeal (ICA) against the Supreme Court’s June 19 verdict, urging that the Constitutional Bench’s order should be “recalled and set aside […] in the interest of justice.”
Meanwhile, the oath-taking ceremony for Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Justice Syed Muhammad Attique Shah took place at the Governor’s House. During the event, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur met, with Federal Minister Amir Muqam also joining their interaction. The three, who belong to opposing political parties and are often seen exchanging heated words, were observed chatting and exchanging smiles.
Balochistan Governor Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhail administered the oath to Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Justice Rozi Khan Barrech.
Additionally, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori administered the oath to Justice Junaid Ghaffar at a ceremony held at the Governor House in Karachi.
