ISLAMABAD: Six newly appointed Supreme Court (SC) judges were sworn in on Friday, with Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi administering the oath at a ceremony in Islamabad.
The appointments were clouded by controversy following a walkout by four Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) members during a meeting on February 10, along with strong opposition from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and protests from the lawyers’ fraternity.
The JCP meeting proceeded despite calls for postponement by two Supreme Court judges—Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Munib Akhtar—as well as PTI members Barrister Ali Zafar and Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, who objected to the appointments amid concerns over the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
Outside the Supreme Court building, lawyers staged protests, holding placards and chanting slogans against the amendment. Despite opposition, the JCP approved the appointments by a majority vote, confirming six judges and acting chief justices of the high courts.
The newly appointed judges are Justices Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, Salahuddin Panhwar, Shakeel Ahmad, Aamer Farooq, and Ishtiaq Ibrahim. Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb was sworn in as an Acting Judge of the Supreme Court.
The oath-taking ceremony was held outdoors in the Supreme Court’s garden for the first time, rather than the traditional ceremonial hall. It was attended by SC judges, including Senior Puisne Judge Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, along with Justices Muneeb Akhtar, Ayesha Malik, and Athar Minallah. Also present were high court judges, the Attorney General of Pakistan, and representatives from the Pakistan Bar Council and Supreme Court Bar Association.
In a separate event, Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar took the oath as Acting Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC). President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath.
After the oath-taking ceremony, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah dismissed speculation of divisions among Supreme Court judges. Responding to questions, he pointed to the case disposal rate as evidence that judges were performing their duties.
When asked about a potential reference against him, Justice Shah said he would address it if it emerged. “When a reference comes, it will be examined. If nothing wrong has been done, there is no reason to fear. Allah is watching over everything,” he told reporters.
He further emphasized that he held no personal grudges against anyone but urged attention toward the “elephant in the room.”
Following the new appointments, the Supreme Court’s seniority list has been updated. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah is now the senior-most judge after the Chief Justice, followed by Justices Muneeb Akhtar, Aminuddin Khan, Jamal Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Ayesha Malik, Athar Minallah, Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Shahid Waheed, and Musarrat Hilali.
Other judges in order of seniority include Justices Irfan Saadat, Naeem Akhtar Afghan, Shahzad Malik, Aqeel Abbasi, Shahid Bilal Hassan, Hashim Kakar, Shafi Siddiqui, Salahuddin Panhwar, Shakeel Ahmed, Aamer Farooq, Ishtiaq Ibrahim, Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, Sardar Tariq, and Mazhar Alam MianKhel.
