Mazhar Alam Miankhel becomes 3rd judge to decline ad hoc appointment

ISLAMABAD: Former judge of the Supreme Court Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel also declined to be appointed as the ad hoc judge, days after ex-SC judges Justice Mushir Alam and Maqbool Baqar turned down the offers for the same position.

“Justice (retd) Miankhel has decided not to accept the offer due to personal reasons,” sources told ARY News.

Meanwhile, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) met in Islamabad to consider the appointment of four ad hoc judges for a three-year term — Sardar Tariq Masood, Alam, Baqar, Miankhel.

The JCP, chaired by Chief Justice Isa, will consider appointing four retired judges — Mushir Alam, Maqbool Baqar, Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Sardar Tariq Masood — as ad hoc members of the Supreme Court.

Justice Alam retired from the Supreme Court on Aug 21, 2021; Justice Baqar, who served as the Sindh chief minister during the last caretaker set-up, retired on April 4, 2022; Justice Miankhel retired on July 13, 2022; and Justice Masood on March 10, 2024.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had asked the JCP to turn down a proposal to hire ad hoc judges.

In his letter to the JCP members, PTI’s Omar Ayub said that he has “serious reservations” at the recent proposal to appoint ad hoc judges.