ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan approved the appointment of Justice (retd) Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice (retd) Mazhar Miankhel as ad-hoc judges to the Supreme Court (SC) on Friday.
Sources familiar with the development revealed that the Judicial Commission considered the proposals for the appointment of ad-hoc judges and approved the two names with a majority vote. However, the process was not without opposition. Justice Munib Akhtar of the Supreme Court opposed the appointment of Justice (retd) Sardar Tariq Masood, resulting in an 8-1 majority approval for Justice Masood.
Similarly, the appointment of Justice (retd) Mazhar Miankhel faced resistance from three members of the Judicial Commission, but was ultimately approved with a 6-3 vote. Both former judges have been appointed for a period of one year.
Other candidates considered for the ad-hoc roles included Justice (retd) Mushir Alam and Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar, who both declined the offer. Justice Alam retired from the Supreme Court on August 21, 2021, while Justice Baqar, who served as the Sindh Chief Minister during the last caretaker setup, retired on April 4, 2022. Justice Miankhel retired on July 13, 2022, and Justice Masood on March 10, 2024.
The appointments come amid calls from the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) for constitutional amendments to form more courts in the country. The PBC has expressed support for the appointment of ad-hoc judges to expedite the decision-making process in cases, noting that a significant portion of the Supreme Court’s time is currently spent on political cases. The establishment of a constitutional court, as suggested by the PBC, could help alleviate this burden and streamline judicial processes.
This move marks a significant step in addressing the backlog of cases and improving the efficiency of Pakistan’s judiciary system.
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