ISLAMABAD: The Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court, Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, on Tuesday administered oath to three newly-appointed judges — Justice Ayaz Shaukat, Justice UmairMajeed Malik, and Justice Shahrukh Arjumand — as additional judges of the IHC.
The oath-taking ceremony was held at the IHC premises, which was attended by the High Court judges, bar representatives, and prominent lawyers.
Ministry of Law and Justice issued a notification following the approval of the judges’ appointment summary by President Asif Ali Zardari.
The JCP on July 20 and 21 had recommended the appointment of 19 additional judges and the confirmation of five judges to the Islamabad, Lahore, Sindh, Balochistan and Peshawar High Courts.
The delay had created practical complications as four additional judges of the PHC, whose confirmation were recommended by the JCP, ceased to hold office after their tenure expired on August 4 due to the absence of formal notifications.
Similarly, an additional judge of the Sindh High Court (SHC), whose term was extended by six months, relinquished office after his tenure expired on July 29.
A single-judge bench of the IHC comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir on Tuesday adjourned hearing of the judges’ appointment case as the petitioner’s counsel requested the court to keep the matter pending until the law ministry issued a formal notification.
On Monday, the IHC had issued notices to President Zardari, the federation and the attorney-general, directing them to submit separate concise reports explaining the timeline and present status of the summary forwarded by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif concerning judicial appointments.
The petitioner’s counsel had argued that Article 48(1) of the Constitution uses the expression “shall”, imposing a constitutional obligation on the President to act on the advice tendered by the prime minister.
The proviso to Article 48(1) permits the President to return the advice for reconsideration within 15 days, after which the President is required to act within 10 days on the advice tendered after reconsideration.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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