ISLAMABAD: Despite opposition from a treasury member, the Parliamentary committee on judges' appointment on Monday recommended Babar Sattar and Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri as additional judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The committee which met here with Senator Javed Abbasi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the chair, approved the names of two prominent lawyers - Babar Sattar and Tariq Jahangiri - as additional judges of the IHC.

Talking to the media after meeting, Abbasi said the committee approved appointment of Babar Sattar and Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri as additional judges of the IHC.

"Ali Muhammad Khan [state minister for parliamentary affairs] opposed Babar Sattar's elevation, but he supported Jahangiri. The 7-member committee unanimously approved Jahangiri's elevation while Sattar by majority vote (7-1) as Ali Mohammad Khan voted against him," he added.

The opposition from the state minister, who is the member of the parliamentary committee, according to source, could be mainly because he is not well liked by "some quarters including the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)" just for being a "right man for the right job."

Another reason for opposing Sattar's elevation as judge may be because he had represented the Supreme Court judge, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, when a ten-judge full court heard his petition against the now-quashed presidential reference.

Sattar is also known for speaking on issues pertaining to civil liberties, human rights issues, and court rulings over the years as a lawyer.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020