Judicial commission recommends elevation of Justice Baqar to SC

In Justice Baqar's stead, judicial commission approves appointment of Justice Faisal Arab as new SHC CJ

ISLAMABAD: The judicial commission of Pakistan on Wednesday recommended that Sindh High Court (SHC) Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar should be elevated to the Supreme Court, sources told The Express Tribune.

In his stead, they deliberated on and decided to appoint Justice Faisal Arab as the new Sindh High Court CJ. Justice Arab is currently heading the special court which is hearing the high treason case against former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf.

A member of the commission aware of the decisions taken, said that Justice Arab will continue to preside over the special court even after taking over the reigns as Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court.

Musharraf’s lawyer, Chaudhry Faisal Hussain, has already observed that the elevation of Justice Arab will not restrict him from hearing the treason case.

At the moment, there are 16 judges serving in the apex court with one seat vacant. If his elevation is confirmed by a parliamentary body, Justice Baqar will serve in the apex court till April 2022.

New CJ for Federal Shariat Court

According to sources, the commission has also recommended that Federal Shariat Court’s Judge Riaz Ahmad Khan as the court’s chief.

Justice Riaz was appointed as an FSC judge in June 2014, after he retired from the Islamabad High Court.

Earlier, Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan was serving as FSC’s CJ. But last month, he was appointed as the chief election commissioner.