On Tuesday, three high court judges were sworn in as Supreme Court (SC) judges following the approval of their appointments by President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa administered the oath to Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, Sindh High Court (SHC) Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, and LHC Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan.
The ceremony was held at the apex court in Islamabad.
An official notification issued by the Law Ministry on Monday stated that under Article 177 of the Constitution, the president sanctioned the appointments of Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi (Sindh High Court Chief Justice), Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmed Khan (Lahore High Court Chief Justice), and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan (Lahore High Court judge) as Supreme Court judges.
Earlier this month, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), chaired by Chief Justice Isa, recommended the elevations. The JCP’s decision, made by a 5-4 majority, followed detailed deliberations.
Of the nine members of the commission, four—Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, and Justice (retd) Manzoor Ahmed Malik—opposed the elevation of the Lahore High Court chief justice to the Supreme Court. Conversely, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Amin-ud-Din, Azam Tarar, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, and Pakistan Bar Council representative Akhtar Hussain voted in favor of Justice Shahzad’s elevation.
The Supreme Court now has 17 judges, filling the vacancies left by the retirement of former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and the resignations of Justices Ijazul Ahsan and Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi.
