AJK-based lawyer challenges judge exam ban

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday sought responses from the Ministry of Law, the court's Registrar, the Officer In-Charge of the Examination Wing and the Chairman of the Judicial Selection Board within two weeks on a petition challenging the disqualification of a lawyer holding an Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) domicile from the Islamabad civil judge recruitment examination.

Justice Ayaz Shaukat heard the petition filed by advocate Umair Shafiq Mughal, who submitted that he had applied for the advertised civil judge vacancies and paid the prescribed fee within the stipulated period.

According to the petitioner, 50% of the vacancies were reserved on open merit for Pakistani citizens, while the remaining 50% were open only to applicants holding an Islamabad domicile.

He said he was declared ineligible before the written examination, scheduled for October 23, after the online recruitment portal cited his AJK domicile as the reason for disqualification.

The petitioner argued that the advertisement did not bar AJK domicile holders from applying. He maintained that citizenship determines a person's legal status, whereas domicile indicates regional affiliation, and that holding an AJK domicile does not affect Pakistani citizenship.