President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday authorized the appointment of additional judges to five high courts across Pakistan, while also confirming several additional judges as permanent members of the judiciary. The appointments cover the Lahore High Court (LHC), Sindh High Court (SHC), Peshawar High Court (PHC), Islamabad High Court (IHC), and Balochistan High Court (BHC).
Notably, the president confirmed the elevation of several additional judges from the LHC and SHC to permanent status. These actions follow a recent judicial inquiry into delays concerning the approval of judicial appointments.
In a significant development, the Islamabad High Court had sought explanations from both the president and the prime minister over a lag in approving a summary related to these appointments. During Monday’s hearing, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir highlighted that more than 18 days had elapsed since the summary was sent for approval. The court issued notices to the president and prime minister through their secretaries, demanding responses by Tuesday.
The matter originated from a petition filed by advocate Luqman Zafar, who contended that the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) had approved nominations for high court judges on July 20 and 21. These nominations were forwarded to the president via the prime minister under Article 175A(8) of the Constitution but had not yet received final approval.
Following the hearing, the court ordered the federal government and Ministry of Law to provide detailed reports on when the summary was submitted to the president and what actions were taken subsequently. The court also requested an explanation regarding the constitutional consequences of delaying advice on judicial appointments beyond the stipulated timeframe.
Meanwhile, President Zardari approved measures to align the salaries, allowances, and pensions of Supreme Court judges with those of judges serving in the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC). He also sanctioned amendments to the 1997 order governing leave, pensions, and other benefits for high court judges.
In a separate decision, the president appointed Haroon Akhtar as Adviser to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production, marking another notable development in government appointments.
