The Judicial Commission of Pakistan, under the chairmanship of Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faez Isa, has recommended with a majority the appointment of two former judges as ad hoc judges of the Supreme Court.
The nominees are Justice (retd) Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice (retd) Sardar Tariq Masood.
During the meeting, Justice Muneeb Akhtar opposed the appointment of ad hoc judges, arguing that while all the suggested names were respectable, ad hoc judges should not be appointed at all. Despite his opposition, the remaining eight commission members supported the need for ad hoc judges at this time.
The nomination of Justice (retd) Sardar Tariq Masood was endorsed by a vote of 8-1.
Also Read: Supreme Court: Justice Mazhar Alam 3rd judge to refuse ad hoc offer
Sources indicated that none of the members raised objections regarding the reputation or background of any of the names proposed by the chief justice. The only opposition came from Justice Akhtar, who disagreed with the principle of appointing ad hoc judges.
Regarding the nomination of Justice (retd) Mazhar Alam Miankhel, there was a more divided opinion. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Yahya Afridi pointed out that Justice Miankhel had refused the offer for the post, therefore his name should be removed from the recommendations.
Also Read: SC ad hoc judge: Justice Mushir Alam refuses offer
However, six other members noted that the former judge had initially given his consent and should be asked again. Consequently, his appointment was recommended by a vote of 6-3.
CJP Qazi Faez Isa had initially proposed four names for the ad hoc judges of the Supreme Court on July 12. Among those proposed, Justice (retd) Mushir Alam, Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar and Justice (retd) Mazhar Alam Miankhel had turned down the offer for ad hoc positions.
The recommendations of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan will now be forwarded to the president for approval before the appointments can be finalized.
Also Read: PTI to challenge SC ad-hoc judges appointment in SJC
Meanwhile, the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has termed the appointment of ad hoc judges to the Supreme Court (SC) an attempt to influence the decision of reserved seats, and announced to challenge the appointment in the Supreme Judicial Council.
Barrister Gohar appealed to the Supreme Court to implement its decision on reserved seats, calling the appointment of ad hoc judges malicious. The PTI chairman said ‘ad hocism’ was harmful to an independent judiciary, adding it would only increase mistrust in the independent judiciary.
