Judicial Commission refuses to extend tenure of female LHC judge

Six out of seven names presented for recommendations were approved

ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan [JCP] on Thursday refused to extend the tenure of a female Lahore High Court judge.

The decision was made at a meeting chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nasir and attended by Law Minister Zahid Hamid, Attorney General of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Alim, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, and five other judges. JCP member Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, however, was unable to attend.



The commission was presented with the names of seven LHC judges, for extensions in tenure. Justice Erum Sajad Gull, who has been serving as an additional judge for the last two years, was not approved for an extension, but recommendations for the six other judges – Justice Shahid Mubeen, Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem, Justice Raja Shahid Mehmood Abbasi, Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry, Justice Muhammad Sajid Mehmood Sethi, and Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar – were approved, sources told The Express Tribune.

Sources said that although her name was recommended by LHC Chief Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, the high court's senior most judge Shahid Hameed Dar and Punjab Bar Council representative Javed Hashmi, the commission did not propose her confirmation.

The recommendation proposal by the JCP will be forwarded to the Parliamentary Commission on Judges Appointment for further consideration.

Clarification: An earlier version of this story erroneously reported that the confirmation of LHC judge Justice Iram Sajjad Gul was not recommended by Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Hon’ble Senior Puisne Judge Justice Shahid Hameed Dar and Punjab Bar Council representative Javed Hashmi. The error is regretted. Editor