PHC chief justice decries 'discrimination' in SC judges' appointment

In a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Mohammad Ibrahim Khan has expressed dismay over alleged discrimination in the appointment of Supreme Court judges, ARY News reported.

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.