Justice Atiq Shah 'appointed' as Chief Justice of PHC

ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has appointed Justice S.M. Atiq Shah as the Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court, ARY News reported citing sources.

According to sources, Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, approved the decision by a majority of six out of eleven commission members.

Justice Shah, second on the seniority list of Peshawar High Court judges, was selected over other candidates, including Justice Ejaz Anwar and Justice Arshad Ali, after a thorough evaluation.

However, the appointment faced opposition from Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Munib Akhtar, as well as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Law Minister and two PTI-nominated JCP members.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah raised objections during the meeting, arguing that decisions on the 26th Constitutional Amendment should take precedence. Justice Munib Akhtar, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Law Minister, and the two PTI members supported this stance.

Despite the dissent, the majority vote secured Justice Shah’s appointment, with the President of Pakistan expected to issue a formal notification soon, followed by an oath-taking ceremony by mid-July.

The decision came after Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) was elevated to the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Justice Ibrahim served as PHC Chief Justice for 10 months, during which the court achieved a remarkable case disposal rate of 113 percent, resolving 23,317 cases against 20,438 new filings.

Appointed as an ad-hoc judge of the PHC on August 11, 2016, Justice Ibrahim took oath as Chief Justice on April 15, 2024. Over his tenure as a High Court judge, he decided a total of 19,800 cases. His leadership was marked by significant judicial reforms aimed at enhancing efficiency and accessibility.

Notably, he established special inheritance courts to expedite resolution of inheritance disputes and introduced online case proceedings in the Service Tribunal.

Justice Ibrahim also implemented measures to streamline judicial processes, including the elimination of summer vacations, the formation of special benches, and the categorization of cases to accelerate their disposal. His tenure was further distinguished by efforts to bolster judge security and foster strong ties with bar associations.