LHC recommends JCP to drop names of two judges

Seeks extension in probation period of remaining 11 for one more year

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has recommended the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) to drop the names of two additional judges and extend the probation period of the remaining 11 for one more year.

Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti dispatched a draft to the JCP – a constitutional body which approves the names for the appointment of superior court judges – ahead of its meeting scheduled for April 19 (today) in Islamabad.

A reliable source seeking anonymity told The Express Tribune that CJ Bhatti, after completing due procedure, reportedly recommended the JCP to drop two judges – Justice Sohail Nasir and Justice Shakil Ahmed – following their alleged non-satisfactory performance.

The LHC had appointed 13 additional judges last year. As per practice, after completion of one year work period, the recommendations are sent to the JCP for making them permanent, extending their tenure(s) or even dropping name(s) if required.

Last year, the JCP had approved 13 nominees, Additional Advocate General of Punjab Shan Gul, Assistant Advocate General of Punjab Tariq Nadeem, Ali Zia Bajwa, Abid Chatta, Tanvir Sultan, Raheel Kamran, Sheikh Muhammad Raza Qureshi, Anwaar Hussain, Ahmad Nadeem Arshad, Punjab Additional Prosecutor Amjad Rafique as well as district and sessions judges Safdar Salim Shahid, Shakil Ahmed and Sohail Nasir as additional LHC judges.

The then LHC Chief Justice, Muhammad Qasim Khan, had proposed a list of the nominees to the JCP. At that time, no female nominee had been included in the proposed list. And the lawyers belonging to the minority community had also not been included.

LHCBA’s stance

On the other hand, the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) strongly opposed CJ Bhatti’s recommendation to the JCP for extension in the probation period of 11 judges, claiming that the recommendation means that the judges, being recommended for the probation period, were actually not competent and they had not delivered which is why they are being given extension of one more year. The bar representatives claimed that those who worked hard with passion be confirmed, requesting the JCP not to extend more probation period of those who failed to deliver.