ISLAMABAD — The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi, has approved the appointments of Chief Justices for three provincial high courts. Justice Junaid Ghaffar was named Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court, Justice Attique Shah for the Peshawar High Court, and Justice Rozi Khan for the Balochistan High Court.
The commission is also reviewing appointments for the Islamabad High Court and finalizing senior judicial leadership across the country. The meeting saw some debate when Justice Mansoor Ali Shah raised concerns about proceeding with appointments before the 26th constitutional amendment is finalized. Justice Manib Akhtar and two Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members of the commission supported this view. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa law minister also agreed with Justice Mansoor’s opinion.
Earlier, Justice Kamran Khan Malakhail of the Balochistan High Court had raised a constitutional objection against the participation of retired Justice Nazir Ahmed Langoo in the commission’s proceedings. In a formal two-page letter to the JCP secretary, he argued that inviting a retired judge to attend the meeting violated Article 175A(5) of the Constitution.
Justice Kamran highlighted that, traditionally, the membership of former judges is renewed specifically for each high court Chief Justice appointment. He cited past examples where former judges were appointed as commission members temporarily to consider nominations, such as Justice Qazi Faez Isa for the appointment of Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel as Chief Justice of Balochistan.
This ongoing debate reflects the judiciary’s careful adherence to constitutional norms while deciding key leadership positions.