ISLAMABAD: Justice Qazi Faez Isa, senior puisne judge of the Supreme Court, has recommended the names of Sindh High Court (SHC) Chief Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh and Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Musarrat Hilali for elevation to the Supreme Court.

Sources shared that Justice Faez wrote a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, who is also Chairman of Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), and copy of it sent to other members of the JCP, which include four most senior judges of the Supreme Court, one ex-judge of the apex court, Federal Minister of Law and Justice, Attorney General for Pakistan, and representative of the Pakistan Bar Council.

Presently, there are two posts of judges’ vacant in the apex court. Since taking oath as the chief justice on February 1, CJP Bandial has failed to evolve a consensus on appointment of SC judges.

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Justice Faez, senior puisne judge of the apex court, had also written a letter to CJP Bandial last year asking him to elevate the High Court chief justices for filling vacant posts of judges in the Supreme Court.

The senior judge also noted in his letter that the long-standing practice was to elevate chief justices of the high court to the Supreme Court, as they would have gained valuable judicial experience covering a multitude of legal subjects through their tenure. “They would also be conversant with the multifarious issues and problems of judicial administration,” he added.

However, Justice Faez claimed that the practice was discarded by two former CJPs, Mian Saqib Nisar and Gulzar Ahmed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023