JCP Approves Appointments of Retired Judges

  • The JCP meeting was presided over by Yahya Afridi.
  • Maqbool Baqar, Shakirullah, and Nazir Lango were elected as JCP members.
  • Ahsan Bhawan stated that the government and opposition reached decisions through consensus.

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) convened on Friday and gave its approval to the nominations of four retired judges to serve as “members” of the high-level judicial appointments body. Among those appointed were Justice (retd) Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui and Justice Maqbool Baqar, according to sources familiar with the matter.

This decision occurred during a JCP session led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi.

In addition to Justices Siddiqui and Baqar, Justice (retd) Mian Shakirullah Jan from the Peshawar High Court and Justice (retd) Nazir Ahmed Lango from the Balochistan High Court were also chosen as members of the JCP.

The meeting, which was chaired by CJP Afridi, extended for more than two hours and included discussions regarding the potential elevation of two high court judges to the Supreme Court, the sources noted.

The JCP decided to elevate Justice Ali Baqar Najafi of the Lahore High Court (LHC) to the Supreme Court, with a majority vote of 9-4. The CJP and Senior puisne Judge Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah were among the four JCP members who voted against the elevation.

Following the JCP meeting, Advocate Ahsan Bhawan informed reporters that, “For the first time since the 26th Constitutional Amendment, the government and the opposition have made decisions by consensus.”

He also mentioned that the JCP meeting proceeded in a “pleasant atmosphere” and that nine members of the body supported the elevation of Justice Najafi.

An upcoming JCP meeting, scheduled for April 18, will address nominations for the chief justiceships of the Islamabad High Court, Sindh High Court (SHC), Peshawar High Court (PHC), and Balochistan High Court (BHC).