- Commission also nominates four retired judges, including Justice (r) Maqbool Baqar andShaukat Aziz Siddiqui as members of JCP
- ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) approved the elevation Lahore High Court’s Justice Ali Baqar Najafi to the Supreme Court with a majority vote of 9 to 4.
The JCP meeting with Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi in the chiar, was held the other day.
The JCP members considered the appointment of two Lahore High Court (LHC) judges to the apex court. However, of the two nominees, only Justice Najafi received the necessary votes for his elevation to the Supreme Court.
According to sources, a group of the government was particularly in favour of elevating Justice Shujaat Ali Khan. However, the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) representative opposed his appointment.
Both the government and PTI supported Justice Najafi’s nomination to the SC, though four judicial members did not back his elevation.
The second item on the JCP agenda was a request by LHC Senior Puisne Judge Justice Shujaat Ali Khan for the expunging the observations from the minutes of the commissions’ meeting held on July 2, 2024.
All the participants agreed that the words “negative public perception as to their integrity and reputation amongst the judicial and legal fraternity,” used in the minutes dated July 2, 2024, be expunged.
During the July 2, 2024, meeting, the JCP had unanimously approved the nomination of Justice Aalia Neelum as the new LHC chief justice, bypassing two senior judges, Justice Shujaat Ali Khan and Justice Ali Baqar Najafi.
The commission, by a majority of its total membership, has also nominated Justice (r) Maqbool Baqar, Justice (r) Nazeer Ahmed Langove, Justice (r) Mian Shakirullah Jan, and Justice (r) Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui as members of the JCP under the second proviso to Article 175A(5) of the Constitution.
Meanwhile, the CJP summoned a meeting on April 18 to consider the appointment of chief justices for the Islamabad High Court, Sindh High Court, Peshawar High Court and Balochistan High Court.
