LAHORE – The Parliamentary Committee (PC) for judges’ appointment witnessed its first setback on Thursday and a big question mark hangs on its role under the 18th Constitutional Amendment after the Supreme Court (SC) suspended its decision sacking four ad-hoc judges of the Lahore High Court (LHC), renowned jurists said on Thursday.
The jurists criticised the SC order saying, “If the SC does not accept decisions of the parliamentary committee then what is its utility in the whole business of judges’ appointment under the new constitutional procedure”. Lawyers said that it seems that the new system for judges’ induction would not work and sow seeds of a clash between the judiciary and parliament, as the latter’s recommendations would have no worth.
According to sources, the SC on Thursday suspended decision of the parliamentary committee sacking four LHC ad-hoc judges by not giving them extensions. The judges include Justice Mazahar Naqvi, Justice Farrukh Irfan, Justice Yarwar Ali and Justice Mamoon Rashid. Court officials told Pakistan Today that the SC decision suspending the parliamentary committee’s order on the four ad-hoc judges sent a wave of jubilation among all LHC additional judges including the four sacked ones.
Earlier, the judicial commission (JC) headed by the CJP had terminated 10 LHC judges by refusing to give them confirmation or extension while 24 judges were given extension for one year and their case was sent to the parliamentary committee, which sacked four of them. The sacked judges moved the SC and a two-member bench heard the petition submitting that the PC did not mention the reasons for not giving them extension and sacked them unlawfully, as it is mandatory for the PC to give reasons in support of its decisions.
The JC’s recommendations for extension of services of 24 judges were sent to the PC for decision but the body, in its meeting, had refused to give extensions to them and sacked four more judges, sources said. The 10 LHC ad-hoc judges who were sacked earlier in January by the judicial commission included Justice Mansoor Kokab, Justice Abdur Rehman Ansari, Justice Tariq Javed, Justice Naseem Akhtar, Justice Anwar Bahor, Justice Shahid Iqbal, Justice Shaukat Pirzada, Justice Ikhlaq Ahmed, Justice Waqar Hassan and Justice Hassan Pasha.
