Shaukat Siddiqui among 4 ex-judges picked as JCP members

ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) Friday unanimously approved the appointment of four retired judges, including Justice (retd) Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui and Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar, as its members, said well-placed sources.

The development came during the JCP meeting chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi.

The meeting also picked Justice (retd) Mian Shakirullah Jan of Peshawar High Court (PHC) and Justice (R) Nazir Ahmed Lango of Balochistan High Court (BHC) as its members.

The meeting lasted over two hours, during which matters related to the elevation of two high court judges to the Supreme Court were discussed, the sources added.

The meeting decided to elevate the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Justice Ali Baqar Najafi to the top court by a 9-4 majority vote. Four members of the JCP, including the CJP and Senior Puisne Judge Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, opposed his elevation.

During his interaction with journalists following the JCP meeting, Advocate Ahsan Bhawan said, “For the first time after the 26th Constitutional Amendment, the government and the opposition made decisions by consensus.” He added that the JCP meeting was held in a “pleasant atmosphere”, adding that nine members of the body voted for the elevation of Justice Najafi.

An upcoming meeting of the JCP, which is expected to be held on April 18, will consider nominations for the appointment of chief justices of Islamabad High Court, Sindh High Court (SHC), Peshawar High Court (PHC) and Balochistan High Court (BHC).