Justice (retd) Mushir Alam has declined the nomination for his appointment as an ad hoc judge of the Supreme Court.
In a letter addressed to Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Justice (retd) Alam stated, “After careful deliberation, under present circumstances, it is with a heavy heart that I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept this esteemed appointment.”
This refusal follows reports from Geo News that Chief Justice Isa had nominated him, along with Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqir, Justice (retd) Mazhar Alam Miankhel, and Justice (retd) Sardar Tariq Masood, for appointment as ad hoc judges to address the increasing backlog of cases.
According to regulations, a retired judge can be appointed as an ad hoc judge within three years of retirement, and four former judges of the Supreme Court have been proposed for such appointments for a three-year term.
The Judicial Commission is scheduled to meet on July 19 at 3 PM in the Supreme Court’s conference room to discuss these appointments. The aim of appointing ad hoc judges is to ensure that more cases are decided than are filed, ultimately reducing and hopefully eliminating the backlog of cases pending for several years, as stated in the Supreme Court notification.
The bi-annual report of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan indicates that the number of pending cases in the courts rose to 2.26 million during the second half of 2023, marking a 3.9% increase in overall case pendency. Of these pending cases, 82% (1.86 million) were at the district judiciary level, while the remaining 18% (0.39 million) were at higher tiers, including the Supreme Court, Federal Shariat Court, and high courts.
The report also noted that 2.38 million new cases were filed during this period, while the courts managed to resolve 2.30 million cases.
In his letter to the Chief Justice, Justice (retd) Alam mentioned that after his tenure as a Sindh High Court judge, he established Vision Trust and an eye hospital in Karachi for visually impaired persons. He had also planned to continue his mission to contribute to society. Additionally, he highlighted the registration of the “Vision Health Care Foundation” and the acquisition of 15 acres of land to establish a “Comprehensive Disability Management Centre.”
“Thank you again for considering me for the appointment as an ad hoc Judge of the Supreme Court. I wish the court and your office all the best in your future endeavors,” Justice (retd) Alam concluded.
While Justice (retd) Alam declined the appointment, sources indicate that Justice (retd) Masood and Justice (retd) Miankhel have accepted their nominations. Justice (retd) Baqir has not yet responded, according to the sources.
