PHC notifies 30 judges for regular courts in tribal districts

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday notified 30 judicial officers, including five women judges, for the establishment of regular courts in the tribal districts.

The notification of the judicial officers was the first step for the establishment of regular courts in the merged districts as legal vacuum has been created in the erstwhile Fata after the high court withdrew judicial powers from the commissioners.

The PHC Registrar, Khwaja Wajihuddin, issued a notification of eight judicial officers as district and sessions judges for the tribal districts.

According to the notification, PHC Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and the administrative committee of the high court judges promoted eight additional district and sessions judges (BPS-20) to the posts of district and sessions judges/Zilla Qazi in (BPS-21).

The eight judicial officers, who were promoted and appointed at the merged districts included Munawwar Khan, Javedur Rehman, Ms Kalsoom Azam, Irshad Ahmad Khan, Kashif Nadeem, Ms Sadia Arshad, Muhammad Shoaib and Shakeel Azam Awan.

Similarly, the PHC also issued notification of 22 additional district and sessions judges/Izafi Zilla Qazi (BPS-20) for the merged districts by promoting the senior civil judges (BPS-18).

The judges included Syed Ali Raza, Muhammad Shoaib Khan, Alamgir Shah, Nisar Muhammad Khan, Ms Javeria Sartaj, Ms Kiran Naz, Syed Mudassir Shah Tirmizi, Muhammad Ghayyas Khan, Wajid Ali, Muhammad Faiz, Syed Shaukatullah Shah, Abdul Wahab Qureshi, Zaeem Ahmad, Abdul Majid, Fida Muhammad, Amanullah Khan, Muhammad Tayyab Jan, Mirza Muhammad Kashif, Afzal Ahmad, Attaullah Jan and Aftab Iqbal.

Before notification of the judicial officers for the merged districts, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government sanctioned 907 posts including 7 posts of district and sessions judges, 14 posts of additional district and sessions judges, seven posts of senior civil judges and 24 posts of the civil judge in newly created districts.

The registrar of the PHC in a statement said that the Peshawar High Court has directed the Pakhtunkhwa Judicial Academy to compile a compendium containing Riwaj (customs) of the newly merged districts by May 31, 2019, as the understanding of old laws, customs and procedure was very important as this stage.

He said the PHC has constituted steering committee having representation of all stakeholders to establish the regular courts at the earliest.

The steering committee, it said, would act as a bridge for ensuring coordination among key stakeholders to streamline and expedite the entire process of setting up courts in the merged districts.

The PHC has written letters to the KP chief secretary and inspector general of police to nominate a focal person for the steering committee.

“The high court is working on war-footing to make courts functional in merged districts while being cognizant of the important justice sector in the administration of justice,” the registrar said, adding that to achieve this daunting task effectively, the high court has also finalised immediate and mid-term action plan.

He added the steering committee was mandated for timely compliance with the plans that included recruitment, training of staff, and automation of record and infrastructure provision. “Both the immediate and mid-term action plans will run parallel,” he added.

The registrar said that a policy decision had been taken and makeshift courts would be established in adjourning districts to the erstwhile Fata for the time being.

The recruitment of staff would be carried by the incumbent district and sessions judges from among the domiciled persons belonging to the tribal districts, he added.

A crash training course of incumbent judicial officers to be posted to the merged districts have been devised by the Judicial Academy and shall hopefully roll out in this week, the registrar added.