Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi on Friday presided over the oath-taking ceremony of newly appointed judges of the Supreme Court. Seven judges, including six newly appointed and one acting judge, were sworn in as Supreme Court judges
The swearing-in ceremony took place at the apex court, marking a significant addition to the country’s top judiciary.
The newly elevated judges include former Balochistan High Court (BHC) Chief Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, former Sindh High Court (SHC) Chief Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, SHC Senior Puisne Judge Salahuddin Panhwar, Peshawar High Court (PHC) Judge Shakeel Ahmad, former Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, and former PHC Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim. Their appointments had been approved by President Asif Ali Zardari.
Additionally, CJP Afridi administered the oath to Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb as an acting judge of the Supreme Court.
The Ministry of Law and Justice had formally notified the elevation of these six judges on Thursday following their approval by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) and the president.
In a separate ceremony in Karachi, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori administered the oath to Acting SHC Chief Justice Junaid Ghaffar. His appointment was also officially notified by the law ministry.
Apart from confirming the elevation of the six SC judges, the government also issued a notification for the appointment of IHC’s Justice Aurangzeb as an acting Supreme Court judge in accordance with the JCP’s decision earlier this week.
The appointments were not without controversy. PTI leaders Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Senator Ali Zafar, along with two Supreme Court judges—Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Munib Akhtar—boycotted the JCP meeting regarding the elevations.
Additionally, PTI Senator Zafar, alongside four Supreme Court judges, including Justice Shah, Justice Akhtar, Justice Ayesha A. Malik, and Justice Athar Minallah, had urged the CJP to delay the JCP meeting until the legal challenge to the 26th Constitutional Amendment was resolved.
Following this, Senator Zafar sent another letter requesting a postponement of the JCP proceedings until concerns over the seniority of IHC judges were addressed.
