New Chief Justices Appointed to Provincial High Courts

Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta: The acting chief justices of the four provincial high courts officially assumed their roles as regular chief justices on Tuesday, marking a significant development in the judicial landscape.

These investiture ceremonies occurred a day after the Ministry of Law and Justice formally notified the appointments, which had received the endorsement of President Asif Ali Zardari.

President Zardari presided over the oath-taking for Justice Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar as the chief justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) at Aiwan-i-Sadr. Justice Dogar had been fulfilling the responsibilities of acting chief justice since February.

The event saw the attendance of high court justices, Senate Chairman Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, various ministers, members of parliament, representatives from lawyers’ associations and the legal community, legal professionals, and media personnel.

Earlier, in February, five IHC judges had petitioned the Supreme Court regarding Justice Dogar’s appointment as acting chief justice, in addition to contesting the transfer of three high court justices to their court.

The petition was jointly submitted by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, and Justice Saman Riffat Imtiaz.

However, on June 19, the Supreme Court rejected the appeals concerning the judges’ transfer and affirmed Justice Dogar’s continued service as the acting chief justice of the IHC.

Subsequently, President Asif Ali Zardari formally recognized Justice Dogar as the “senior-most judge” of the IHC, following a revised seniority list issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

It is noteworthy that the aforementioned five IHC justices had lodged an intra-court appeal (ICA) against the Supreme Court’s June 19 decision, urging that the Constitutional Bench’s order be overturned “in the interest of justice”.

The oath-taking ceremony for Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Syed Muhammad Attique Shah occurred at the Governor’s House.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur convened during the event, alongside Federal Minister Amir Muqam. The three were observed in amicable conversation. The governor and chief minister, representing opposing political affiliations, have often been noted for their contentious exchanges.

Balochistan Governor Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhail administered the oath to Rozi Khan Barrech, the Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court.

In Karachi, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori oversaw the oath-taking of Justice Junaid Ghaffar at a ceremony held at the Governor House.