Justice Qasim Khan takes oath as LHC CJ

LAHORE: Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan on Thursday took oath as the 50th chief justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC).

Governor Ch Muhammad Sarwar administered oath to him in a ceremony held at Governor House. Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Punjab ministers, judges of Lahore High Court and other prominent personalities attended the oath taking ceremony.

Members of the PakistanBar Council, Punjab Bar Council and Lahore Bar Association also attended the ceremony. All precautionary measures announced by the government in wake of coronavirus pandemic were strictly observed at the ceremony. All the participants including judges were allowed to enter the arena after going through the screening and hand sanitizing. The participants also abstained from handshaking and hugging and greeted each other waiving hands from some distance.

LHC new Chief Justice soon after taking oath of his office issued transfer/posting orders of registrar and dozens of judicial officers working in the district judiciary. On his arrival at the LHC, Chief Justice Khan was given a guard of honour and welcomed by the officers of the court.

Resuming official responsibilities, the chief justice approved transfer and posting orders of as many as 48 district & sessions judges, seven civil judges and a new roster for the judges of the LHC for next 30 days starting from March 24.

The chief justice also replaced registrar Ashtar Abbas with D&SJ Bahadar Ali Khan after repatriating him as registrar (BS-22) from an anti-corruption court of Faisalabad.

Director General of Directorate of District Judiciary Rehman Bashir was transferred and replaced with Malik Mushtaq Ahmad. D&SJ Human Resource Sajid Ali was also replaced with Sardar Tahir Sabir who was serving as judge banking court-I Rawalpindi.

As per the new roster for the judges of the LHC, a division bench comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh seized with the NAB related petitions of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz, Hamza Shahbaz and Jang-Geo Group Editor-in-chief Mir Shakilur Rahman stood dissolved.

Now a division bench comprising Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem and Justice Farooq Haider will hear the NAB related cases. Justice Qasim comes from Multan and started practicing law after securing a LLB degree from Baha-ud-Din Zakariya University. He was appointed as Assistant Advocate General, Multan in 2000 and was elevated to the Bench in January, 2010. He will retire on July 21, 2021 on attaining the age of 62.