The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) recommended on Monday that three ad hoc judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and one of the Balochistan High Court (BHC) be made permanent.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the JCP – the key judicial body responsible for appointing judges to the superior judiciary – chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi.
A press release issued by the Supreme Court of Pakistan after the meeting said: “The commission also recommended, by majority, the confirmation of the following additional judges as judges of the Islamabad High Court … after due consideration of the relevant data form, antecedents and evaluation of material placed before it.”
The commission has recommended the confirmation of Additional Judges Muhammad Azam Khan, Muhammad Asif and Inaam Ameen Minhas of the IHC.
“Similarly, the commission also recommended, by consensus of the present members, the confirmation of Justice Najamuddin Mengal, additional judge, as judge of the High Court of Balochistan,” the press release added.
The JCP, however, did not recommend, by majority, the confirmation of Additional Judge Ayub Khan of the BHC, the press release said.
The SC press release also said that key institutional and policy matters were deliberated on during the JCP meeting
“The core commission constituted under Article 175A (2) of the Constitution, considered issues relating to the criteria for nomination of judges to Constitutional Benches of the high courts, the procedure for interviews of candidates for judicial appointments, and amendment to the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (Appointment of Judges) Rules, 2024, concerning appointments to the Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan,” the press release said.