Writ Petition : Appointment of FSC judge challenged

LAHORE: The appointment of Justice Ashraf Jehan Jamali, wife of Chief Justice of Pakistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali, as a judge at Federal Shariat Court has been challenged in the Lahore High Court. Barrister Javed Iqbal Jafree has filed a writ petition, stating the rules and seniority of sessions judges were violated in the appointment of Justice Ashraf as additional judge of the Sindh High Court back in 2013. She was transferred to the FSC within months of her appointment as the SHC additional judge without the approval of the parliamentary committee for judges’ appointment, he alleged. Later on September 1, 2014, the president extended her tenure for one year as an additional judge while she was working as an FSC judge. In October 2014, Justice Ashraf was repatriated to SHC as additional judge and made a confirmed judge on August 26, 2015. She was again appointed to the FSC on August 28, 2015 in violation of Article 203 of the Constitution. Barrister Javed requested the court to set aside her appointment for being unconstitutional.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2016.