JCP approves confirmation of 10 out of 12 SHC judges

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has approved the confirmation of ten out of twelve additional judges of the Sindh High Court (SHC), granting permanent status to the majority of names under review.

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the JCP meeting was held at the Conference Room of the Supreme Court on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Yahya Afridi.

The meeting considered whether the twelve additional judges of the Sindh High Court should be appointed on a permanent basis.

During the proceedings, the Commission recommended, by a majority of its total membership, ten of the judges while extending the tenure of the remaining two judges – Justice Khalid Hussain Shahani and Justice Syed Fiaz ul Hassan Shah – for a further six months.

The Commission approved the confirmation of 10 judges – Justice Meeran Muhammad Shah, Justice Tasleem Sultana, Justice Riazat Ali Sahar, Justice Muhammad Hassan, Justice Abdul Hamid Bhurgi, Justice Jan Ali Junejo, Justice Nasir Ahmed Bhanboro, Justice Ali Haider Ada, Justice Usman Ali and Justice Muhammad Jafar Raza.

In addition to these confirmations, the Judicial Commission also approved a six-month extension for the Sindh High Court’s constitutional benches and added four new judges to those benches.

According to the press release issued by the SC on its website, the Judicial Commission, by a majority of its total membership, nominated the four judges to the constitutional benches, including Justice Amjad Ali Bohio, Justice Muhammad Hassan (Akber), Justice Ali Haider ‘Ada’, and Justice Muhammad Osman Ali Hadi.

Tuesday’s meeting came a day after a series of significant decisions in which the Commission confirmed three additional judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and approved one judge for appointment to the Balochistan High Court.

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel report, Justice Najamuddin Mengal was confirmed to the BHC, while Justice Ayub Khan did not receive approval. The three IHC judges granted permanent status were Justice Inam Ameen Minhas, Justice Azam Khan and Justice Muhammad Asif.

All recent meetings of the Judicial Commission were chaired by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, who oversaw deliberations leading to the approval of permanent judicial appointments.

An important session is also scheduled for January 15, when the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) will take up the confirmation of thirteen additional judges of the Lahore High Court (LHC). 

The meeting will be presided over by the Chief Justice of Pakistan and will be attended by LHC Chief Justice Aalia Neelum, the federal law minister and the attorney general of Pakistan.

Nine of the LHC judges under consideration were appointed on February 10, 2025, while four were appointed on March 4, 2025. 

Their names include Justice Hassan Nawaz Makhdoom, Justice Waqar Haider Awan, Justice Sardar Akbar Ali Dogar, Justice Syed Ahsan Raza, Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Jawad Zafar, Justice Khalid Ishaq, Justice Awais Khalid, Justice Sultan Mehmood, Justice Raja Ghazanfar Ali, Justice Tanvir Ahmad Sheikh, Justice Tariq Mehmood Bajwa and Justice Abhar Gul Khan.

Reporter: Amanat Gishkori