The names of candidates recommended by the provincial government for appointment as judges in the Sindh High Court (SHC) are likely to be disregarded in the meeting of the Judicial Commission on February 25, Pakistan Today has learnt.
The Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudry has convened a meeting of the Judicial Commission for appointment of judges in the SHC on February 25 in Islamabad.
There are 28 positions of judges vacant in the SHC as only 12 judges are working on the reserved 40 positions.
The Sindh government had recommended the names of 27 lawyers, including four former sacked SHC judges Ghulam Dastgir Shahani, Safdar Bhutto, Ismail Bhutto and Iqbal Mahar, members of the People’s Lawyers Forum and some candidates believed to have close ties with political high-ups.
Eight names including six district and sessions judges – SHC Registrar Abdul Rasool Memon, Naimat Allah Khuro, Muhammad Sadiq Bhatti, Faiz Rasool Rashdi, Ashraf Jahan and Abdul Malik Gadi – and two senior lawyers Nadeem Akhtar and Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui were also suggested for the post of SHC judges.
The Judicial Commission’s meeting will be chaired by the Chief Justice of Pakistan while Federal Law Minister Maula Bux Chandio, Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq, SHC Chief Justice Mushir Alam, senior SHC judge Maqbool Baqar, Sindh Bar Council representative Lala Yasin Babar and Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro will also participate in the meeting.