The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on Friday approved the inclusion of five more judges in the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench, increasing its strength to 13.
The meeting, chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi at the Supreme Court Building in Islamabad, finalized the nominations through a majority vote. According to an official statement, the newly appointed judges are Justice Hashim Khan Kakar, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar, Justice Shakeel Ahmad, Justice Aamer Farooq, and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim.
Sources disclosed that the decision faced opposition from senior puisne judge Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) representatives in the JCP—Barrister Ali Zafar and Barrister Gohar Ali Khan.
In a separate meeting, the JCP nominated four judges as additional judges of the Lahore High Court (LHC). Those selected include District and Sessions Judge Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Justice Tanveer Ahmad Sheikh, Justice Tariq Mahmood Bajwa, and Justice Abher Gul Khan.
Additionally, a third JCP session approved the appointment of Justice Riazat Ali Sahar, Justice Abdul Hamid Bhurgri, and Justice Nisar Ahmad Bhanbhro to the constitutional benches of the Sindh High Court (SHC).
Earlier in the month, the JCP had confirmed the appointment of six judges to the Supreme Court despite a boycott by PTI lawmakers and two senior SC judges. The commission, under CJP Afridi’s chairmanship, finalized these appointments through a majority vote.
The selected judges included Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar, Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, Justice Shakeel Ahmad, and Justice Aamer Farooq. Additionally, the JCP nominated Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) as an acting Supreme Court judge.
