People of the federal capital may get easier access to justice, as the Islamabad High Court (IHC) resumed functioning on Tuesday after nearly one and a half years of its closure. The decision to re-establish the court was stipulated in the 18th Amendment.
President Asif Ali Zardari administered oath to the Chief Justice of IHC, Iqbal Hameedur Rahman, at Sindh Governor House yesterday. The newly appointed chief justice, along with two other additional judges, also heard cases.
Deputy Attorney General of IHC, Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, told media that as many as 7,000 cases were transferred to IHC from Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench.
Last year, the Supreme Court declared the IHC illegal, since it was established under the provisional constitutional order, promulgated by former president Pervez Musharraf on November 3, 2007.
In its July 31, 2009 judgement, the apex court struck down the order of the IHC’s establishment and reverted the judicial system to the status of November 2, 2007.
All judges who were part of the pre-PCO judiciary were ordered to return to their original courts. Cases were transferred to LHC Rawalpindi Bench and Islamabad District Courts.
Published in The Express Tribune January 5th, 2011.
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