The Judicial Commission of Pakistan has approved the appointment of permanent chief justices for all four high courts across the country, according to official sources.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday, the commission held four meetings under the chairmanship of Chief Justice Yahya Afridi.
Justice Junaid Ghaffar has been appointed chief justice of the Sindh High Court through a unanimous decision, Justice Attique Shah will lead the Peshawar High Court, Justice Rozi Khan has been chosen for the Balochistan High Court, while Justice Sarfaraz Dogar has been named the permanent chief justice of the Islamabad High Court. The Peshawar, Balochistan, and Islamabad judges were selected through majority votes.
The decision came during a meeting of the Judicial Commission held at the Supreme Court, presided over by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi. Sources confirmed that the commission approved each appointment by majority vote.
However, the meeting was not without controversy. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah objected to the proceedings, arguing that the commission should first decide on the pending 26th Constitutional Amendment case before moving ahead with judicial appointments. His stance was supported by Justice Muneeb Akhtar, two representatives of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa law minister.
Despite the objections, the appointments moved forward. According to official correspondence, the secretary of the Judicial Commission has formally informed the Prime Minister’s Office of the commission’s decisions. The letter, addressed to the principal secretary to the prime minister, confirmed that all four appointments were approved by majority vote.
The letter also urged the PM to complete the remaining formalities for the appointments under sub-clause 8 of Article 175A of the Constitution.
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