Justice Mansoor Ali Shah will depart for Makkah on Thursday to perform Umrah with his family. He is expected to return after the swearing-in ceremony for the new Chief Justice of Pakistan.
Sources indicate that Justice Shah will miss both the farewell reference for outgoing Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and the swearing-in ceremony for incoming Chief Justice Yahya Afridi.
Scheduled to return on November 1, Justice Shah will be traveling with his family.
A full court reference honoring Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa is set for October 25, with Chief Justice-designate Yahya Afridi addressing the event.
President Asif Ali Zardari will administer the oath of office to Justice Yahya Afridi as the new Chief Justice of Pakistan on October 26 at 11:00 AM in a ceremony at the President’s House, attended by 300 guests.
Justice Shah’s absence means he will miss both the farewell and swearing-in events.