Judicial Commission of Pakistan: Four additional SHC judges endorsed

Panel vetoes names of Justice Farooq Channa and Justice Riazat Sahar.

ISLAMABAD:

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) approved the confirmation of four additional judges of the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday. The commission dropped the names of two other additional SHC judges for confirmation, sources revealed to The Express Tribune.

A meeting of the commission under the chairmanship of Chief Justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jillani was held on Thursday with regards to the confirmation of six additional judges of the SHC.

Sources said the JCP approved the names of Justice Syed Muhammad Farooq Shah, Justice Azizur Rehman, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Aftab Ahmed Gorar for conformation but the names of Justice Farooq Ali Channa and Justice Riazat Ali Sahar have been dropped for unspecified reasons. A member of the JCP has revealed that this will be the last meeting of the JCP chaired by CJP Jillani as the incumbent chief justice is retiring from his chairmanship on July 5.

Pakistan Bar Council vice chairman Ramzan Chaudhry said great improvement has been witnessed in the appointment of superior court judges. He further appreciated the appointment of a judge in the LHC who belongs to a minority community.

Expressing reservations over the powers of the JCP chairman, the PBC on March 15, 2013, submitted proposed amendments in the JCP rules seeking a transfer of the chairman’s powers to the commission regarding the appointment of superior court judges.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2014.