ISLAMABAD: Three judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) — Justice Muhammad Azam Khan, Justice Muhammad Asif, and Justice Raja Inam Ameen Minhas — on Monday take oath as permanent judges following the president’s approval. The ceremony was held in the common room of the IHC and administered by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar.
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The event began with the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by the national anthem, after which the registrar read out the official notification of appointments. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, a senior puisne judge who had opposed their confirmation during the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) meeting, attended the ceremony. However, Justices Babar Sattar, Saman Rafat Imtiaz, and Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan were not present.
” ججز کوڈ آف کنڈکٹ کا پابند رہوں گا بغیر کسی ڈر خوف اور بغیر کسی کی favour کئے آئین قانون کے مطابق اپنی ذمہ داری نبھاؤں گا ” اسلام آباد ہائیکورٹ کے 3 ججز جسٹس اعظم خان ، جسٹس محمد آصف ، جسٹس انعام امین منہاس نے حلف اٹھا لیا pic.twitter.com/WAr7iMrMFS
— Saqib Bashir (@saqibbashir156) January 19, 2026
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, members of the judiciary, the Islamabad High Court Bar Association President Syed Wajid Ali Shah Gilani, and senior lawyers attended the ceremony. The Ministry of Law and Justice had issued the appointments on January 17 under Article 193 of the Constitution, with effect from the date of oath-taking. All three judges had previously served as additional judges for nearly a year.
The confirmations followed a JCP meeting on January 12, which recommended their elevation despite objections from Justice Kayani, who cited performance and competence concerns. He claimed the judges focused on easier cases and alleged manipulation of performance data.
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Official records presented to the JCP contradicted these claims. Justice Minhas disposed of 2,039 cases in 2025, Justice Azam Khan 1,841, and Justice Asif 1,338, ranking them among the highest performers. The data also showed substantial clearance of old cases, reinforcing the commission’s decision to confirm their appointments.