Justice Mansoor, Justice Munib boycott as JCP names six judges for elevation

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), which met on Monday with Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Yahya Afridi in the chair, approved the appointment of six high court judges to the Supreme Court, sources said.

According to 24NewsHD TV channel, the sources said the commission approved the elevation of Justice Aamir Farooq, Sindh High Court Chief Justice Shafi Siddiqui, Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Hashim Kakar, Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, Sindh High Court’s Justice Salahuddin, and Peshawar High Court’s Justice Shakeel Ahmed to the Supreme Court.

The JCP also appointed Justice Gul Hassan as an ad hoc judge under Article 181, the sources added.

See Also: Justice Mansoor Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar boycott JCP meeting
  

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Munib Akhtar, who had earlier urged the CJP to defer the JCP meeting, boycotted the session, insiders reported. However, Barrister Ali Zafar, despite initially opposing the meeting, attended to express his reservations.

Amid planned protests by the All Pakistan Lawyers’ Action Committee at Constitution Avenue, extraordinary security measures were implemented around the SC building.

Ali Zafar, a member of the JCP, along with four Supreme Court judges, had voiced concerns over the JCP meeting and requested the CJP to defer it.

On Sunday, Zafar penned a letter to Justice Afridi, a copy of which was also sent to all JCP members, urging the deferment of the meeting until a decision was reached in the 26th Constitutional Amendment case and issues regarding the appointment of judges in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) were resolved.

Additionally, four Supreme Court justices – Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Ayesha Malik, and Justice Athar Minallah – also wrote to the CJP, requesting a postponement. Their letter raised concerns that appointing new judges before the resolution of the 26th Amendment case could create conflicts, particularly regarding the composition of a full court hearing.