Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar has been appointed as the acting chief justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) following his predecessor’s elevation to the Supreme Court.
A notification issued by the law ministry late Wednesday confirmed that President Asif Ali Zardari appointed Justice Dogar under Article 196 of the Constitution. He will serve as acting chief justice “from the date he takes the oath of office until the appointment of a regular Chief Justice.”
This appointment follows the Judicial Commission of Pakistan’s (JCP) approval of six new Supreme Court judges earlier in the week. The decision was made during a meeting chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, despite a boycott by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers and two senior Supreme Court judges.
The six judges nominated for the Supreme Court include Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar, Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, Justice Shakeel Ahmad, and Justice Aamer Farooq. Additionally, IHC’s Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb was nominated as an Acting Judge of the Supreme Court.
Earlier, the transfer of three judges from Sindh, Balochistan, and Lahore to the IHC had sparked criticism from the legal community, including IHC judges. Former IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq had implemented administrative changes following these transfers, appointing Justice Dogar as the administrative judge for anti-terrorism and accountability courts, a role previously held by Justice Kayani.
Discontent arose among five judges regarding seniority, arguing that judges transferred from other high courts should retake their oath to reset their seniority ranking. However, Justice Aamer Farooq dismissed this notion, stating that seniority is determined based on the date of the original oath in their respective high courts, not from the date of transfer.
Justice Dogar’s appointment marks a critical transition in the IHC’s leadership, coinciding with broader judicial reshuffles at the Supreme Court.
