JCP recommends elevation of three judges to Supreme Court

ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on Monday recommended elevation of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah and two other judges, one each from the Lahore High Court and the Sindh High Court, to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. 

A meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) was held here at the Supreme Court of Pakistan, chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umer Ata Bandial. It was learnt that the commission, after thorough deliberations, approved the names of Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Shahid Waheed of the LHC and Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi of the SHC for their elevation to the Supreme Court. The commission, however, deferred the name of Justice Shafi Siddiqui, another judge of the SHC, as the commission members could not develop consensus over his elevation to the apex court.

The CJP had nominated Justice Athar Minallah, two judges of the Sindh High Court and Justice Shahid Waheed of the LHC for their elevation to the Supreme Court of Pakistan to fill in five vacant posts. At present, five seats are vacant in the apex court upon the retirement of former CJP Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, Justice Maqbool Baqir, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed. After the approval of the commission, the names of the approved judges will be sent to the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Judges for its final approval.