Supreme Court gets two ad hoc judges

The Ministry of Law and Justice on Saturday issued the notification regarding the appointment of Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel as ad hoc judges of the Supreme Court.

"The President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is pleased to appoint Mr Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Mr Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, former judges of the Supreme Court, as ad hoc judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to attend the sittings of the court for a period of one year with effect from the date they enter upon their offices," said the notification.

A day earlier—on Friday—President Asif Ali Zardari gave his nod of approval to a summary moved by the ministry for appointing Justice Masood and Justice Miankhel as ad hoc judges.

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on July 19 approved the nomination of the two retired Supreme Court judges for their appointment as ad hoc judges for one year despite severe criticism from a segment of lawyers and the PTI.

The JCP had approved the nomination of Justice Masood by a majority vote of 8 to 1. The nomination of Justice Miankhel was approved by a majority of 6 to 3.

It was reported that before the JCP meeting, Justice Miankhel had expressed his inability to serve as an ad hoc judge through a WhatsApp message, citing a social media campaign against his appointment. He had also informed the media of his reluctance to take up the position.

Sources had revealed to The Express Tribune that a majority of JCP members had suggested that Justice Miankhel should be re-consulted to obtain his consent.

However, three JCP members—Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, and Justice Yahya—had disagreed with the majority decision. They had noted that if Miankhel was facing social media pressure, he might not be suitable for the role.

Citing government sources, a report published in The Express Tribune on July 20 confirmed that Justice (retired) Mazhar Alam Miankhel had consented to serve as an SC ad hoc judge following the approval of his nomination by the majority of JCP members.

Supreme Court former judges—Mushir Alam and Maqbool Baqar—had also been considered for their reappointment as ad hoc judges. However, they had declined the offer.