JCP approves 6 high court judges for Supreme Court

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on Monday approved the names of six high court judges for Supreme Court amidst opposition from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and lawyers’ community.

According to a statement issued following the Judicial Commission meeting, presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, the commission approved the appointment of Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court Justice Aamer Farooq, Chief Justice of Sindh High Court Justice Shafi Siddiqui, Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court Justice Hashim Kakar, and Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim as Supreme Court judges.

Additionally, the commission approved the appointment of Justice Shakeel Ahmad from Peshawar High Court and Justice Salahuddin Panhwar from Sindh High Court as Supreme Court judges. Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb was appointed as an ad-hoc judge under Article 181 of the Constitution.

The JCP meeting comes amidst a protest from the Lawyers’ Action Committee near D-Chowk. The lawyers closed the entry route to the Red Zone and also blocked several other roads.

They chanted slogans against the 26th Constitutional Amendment, as well as against the transfer of judges to the Islamabad High Court.

PTI boycotts JCP meeting

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Senator Ali Zafar boycotted today’s proceedings of the commission.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Gohar recalled the letters written by some SC judges and Zafar and said he reiterated the PTI’s request that the meeting be “postponed for a few days”.

However, Gohar stated that since the JCP meeting was not postponed, the two PTI leaders chose not to participate.

The PTI chairman emphasized that despite opposing the 26th Amendment—which restructured the JCP to include more lawmakers—the party had still remained engaged in the judicial appointment process.

Speaking alongside Gohar, Zafar criticized the decision to hold the JCP meeting without first addressing the issue of judicial transfers to the Islamabad High Court, calling it “inappropriate.”

“Before proceeding, the courts must determine who is the senior-most judge of the IHC. Only then will we participate in the JCP meeting and officially present our stance,” the senator asserted.

He also claimed that an upcoming delegation from the International Monetary Fund, set to visit Pakistan, “would be interested in reviewing our objections.”

Top court judges seek postponement of JCP meeting

Last week, four judges of the Supreme Court requested Chief Justice Yahya Afridi to postpone the appointment of judges in the Apex Court till the challenge to the 26th Constitutional Amendment is decided one way or the other.

Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Ayesha A Malik, and Justice Athar Minallah, on Friday, wrote a letter to CJP Afridi, who is also the chairperson of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) and copies of it were sent to all the JCP members.