Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Anwar Zaheer Jamali has summoned a meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on September 26 to consider the names of additional judges in the Sindh High Court (SHC) for confirmation.

The JCP would consider the names of nine additional judges for confirmation or otherwise, sources told Daily Times.

Sources further said that the nine additional judges were: Justice Ghulam Qadir, Justice Muhammad Iqbal Mehar, Justice Khadim Hussain Sheikh, Justice Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan, Justice Abdul Ghani Soomro, Justice Mehmood Ahmad Khan, Justice Muhammad Karim Khan Agha, Justice Anwar Hussain and Justice Muhammad Faisal Kamal Alam. The tenure of the above-mentioned judges is expiring on September 29. The total strength of judges in the SHC is 40. However, only 37 judges are working in the court at the moment, including 13 additional judges.

The tenure of four other additional judges – Justice Rasheed Ahmad Soomro, Justice Muhammad Hamayon Khan, Justice Arshad Hussain Khan and Justice Muhammad Saleem Jessar – will be completed in June 2017.

According to Article 175-A of the constitution, which draws the procedure of appointment of superior courts’ judges, the JCP, after confirmation, will propose the names to parliamentary committee following which the president of Pakistan will approve the names, while the Ministry of Law and Justice will issue the notification.

A commission, under the above-said article, after the 18th Constitutional Amendment, was formed under the chairmanship of the CJP, which consisted of the law minister, four senior-most judges, the attorney general of Pakistan, a retired judge and a representative of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC).