Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim appointed acting CJ in PHC

The President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, appointed the most senior judge, Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, as the Acting Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court, ARY News reported on Friday.

In a recent development, the Law Ministry in Islamabad has issued a significant notification regarding judicial appointments in Sindh and Peshawar.

Meanwhile, in a move to bolster the Sindh High Court’s bench, the President has appointed six additional judges, including a female judge.

Among the newly appointed judges are Justice Sana Akram Minhas, Justice Amjad Ali, Justice Jawad Akbar Sarwana, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, Justice Muhammad Abdul Rehman, and Justice Arbab Ali Hakro, all of whom are poised to contribute significantly to the Sindh High Court’s judicial proceedings.

Last month, the former Chief Justice Mohammad Ibrahim Khan of Peshawar High Court (PHC) penned down a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) and expressed dismay over alleged discrimination in the appointment of Supreme Court judges.

The PHC chief justice said that he was writing to CJP Isa regarding the alleged discrimination and favouritism in the appointment of judges in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Justice Khan said that despite four vacancies in the top court, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan was appointed as the SC judge while his name was not considered for a position at the Supreme Court.

Expressing dismay that the only judge appointed to the top court was from the same province CJP Qazi Faez Isa hailed from i.e., Balochistan, he said that his name was not considered despite seniority, availability and eligibilty.

He raised questions over ignoring his name for appointment as the SC judge despite being the second most senior chief justice among all of the high courts.

In the letter, Mohammad Ibrahim Khan said being a member of the Judicial Commission and the Supreme Judicial Commission, he expected to be included in the list for elevation to the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The PHC chief justice said that he would have accepted the decision if he was not deemed fit to fill a vacancy at the Supreme Court.

He expressed the belief that considering the substantial backlog in the cases, the CJP might feel obligated to promptly fill the vacancies.

Justice Mohammad Ibrahim Khan said that he may have lacked the personal connections that play a role in such elevations as according to him, he could not come to any logical conclusion over the decision to not consider him for the position at the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the PHC chief justice said that he was not challenging the decision made regarding the judges’ appointment, but sought clarification and assurance that the principles of merit, fairness, and equality of opportunity were being maintained.