Oath ceremony held for three newly elevated SC judges

Three high court judges were sworn in as Supreme Court (SC) judges on Tuesday after President Asif Ali Zardari approved the appointment on Monday.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa administered the oath to Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, Sindh High Court (SHC) Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, and LHC Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan.

The ceremony took place at the apex court in Islamabad.

According to an official notification issued by the Law Ministry on Monday, under Article 177 of the Constitution, the president sanctioned the appointment of Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi (Sindh High Court Chief Justice), Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmed Khan (Lahore High Court Chief Justice), and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan (Lahore High Court judge) as judges of the Supreme Court.

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), chaired by Chief Justice Isa, had recommended the elevations earlier this month. The JCP's decision was reached by a 5-4 majority after detailed deliberations.

Out of the nine members of the commission, four – Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, and Justice (retd) Manzoor Ahmed Malik – opposed the elevation of the Lahore High Court chief justice to the Supreme Court.

In contrast, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Amin-ud-Din, Azam Tarar, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, and Pakistan Bar Council representative Akhtar Hussain voted in favour of Justice Shahzad's elevation.

The Supreme Court now has 17 judges, filling the vacancies left by the retirement of former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and the resignations of Justices Ijazul Ahsan and Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi.