Practice and Procedure Committee also forms Shariat appellate bench

The Practice and Procedure Committee of the Supreme Court on Thursday decided to constitute a five-judge Shariat appellate bench, to be led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, to take up appeals against the decisions of the Federal Shariat Court (FSC).

A committee met here with Chief Justice Isa in the chair. The committee, according to sources, also formed a five-member larger bench, led by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, to hear the Arshad Sharif murder case.

The five-member Shariat appellate bench would also include Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan. Besides Dr Khalid Masood and Dr Qibla Ayaz would also be part of it as Alim judges, the sources said.

They added that appeals against FSC decisions had been pending for a long time, which included an appeal against the decision about the usury-based economic system. The bench would take up those appeals, they said.

The committee formed a five-member bench to hear the murder case of journalist Arshad Sharif. According to the sources, the decision was taken by the majority, as the chief justice Isa opined that a three-member bench headed by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah should hear the matter during the holidays.

However, Justice Shah favoured a five-member larger bench and the third committee member, Justice Muneeb Akhtar agreed with him. Now the five-judge bench would be led by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel and include Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Athar Minullah and Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi.