ISLAMABAD: In a matter concerning the appointment of judges in the Supreme Court, four judges have written a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Yahya Afridi. The letter was signed by Justices Mansoor Ali Shah, Muneeb Akhtar, Ayesha Malik, and Athar Minallah.
The letter requests the postponement of the Judicial Commission meeting scheduled for February 10. It states that the Judicial Commission meeting, established under the 26th Constitutional Amendment, is scheduled for February 10, and it questions the appointment of a judge to the Supreme Court after a transfer from Lahore High Court, especially when the judge was ranked 15th in Lahore.
The judges in the letter have requested that the process of appointing new judges be halted until the decision on the constitutional amendment case is made. They further suggest that at least the Supreme Court should wait for decisions on full court requests from the constitutional bench before proceeding, and the Judicial Commission meeting should be postponed until the seniority of Islamabad High Court judges is determined.
The letter notes that in the 26th Amendment case, the constitutional bench may suggest a full court. The issue of which judges will form the full court if new judges are appointed will be controversial. Three judges were transferred to Islamabad High Court, and under the Constitution, they should have taken an oath again in Islamabad, without which their position as judges in the Islamabad High Court would be questionable. Despite this, the seniority list in the Islamabad High Court has already been altered.
