JC recommends elevation of SHC CJ Faisal Arab as SC judge

ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission (JC) on Wednesday recommended the elevation of Sindh High Court (SHC) Chief Justice Faisal Arab as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Meeting of the JC for the appointment of judges in the higher judiciary was held here in the Supreme Court and was presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, who is also the chairman of the commission.
The meeting was attended by JC members, including Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, Justice (retd) Tariq Pervez, Attorney General for Pakistan Salman Aslam Butt, Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Pervez Rashid and Yasin Azad, member from the Pakistan Bar Council.
The JC also recommended the name of Justice Sajjad Ali Shah as the SHC chief justice, who at present is the senior most judge of the Sindh High Court. With the recommendation of elevation of Justice Faisal Arab, the strength of 17 judges, including the CJ, of the apex court will be completed.
The JC was constituted under the 18th Amendment in the Constitution. The commission will send its recommendations to the Parliamentary Committee for approval of these judges.
Earlier on November 5, 2015, Lahore High Court Chief Justice Manzoor Ahmed Malik and Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, judge of the LHC, were elevated to the Supreme Court as judges.
Justice Faisal Arab, whose elevation to Supreme Court as a judge was recommended by the JC, is also heading a three-member Special Court, hearing the Federation’s complaint, seeking initiation of high treason case against former Presidentagainst former President General (R) Pervez Musharraf for imposing emergency rule on November 3, 2007.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Parliamentary Committee on Judges Appointment in its meeting held on October 29, 2015, felt that it has it has become a rubberstamp to approve or confirm a nomination sent by the JC and unanimously decided that it will not hold any meetings in future to consider Commission’s recommendations till it has meaningful role and contributions in the process of appointment of judges in the superior courts.