ISLAMABAD: Justice (r) Maqbool Baqar has declined the appointment as an ad hoc judge to the Supreme Court, making him the second retired judge to turn down the offer.
His announcement follows a few days after Justice (r) Mushir Alam declined the offer to serve as an ad hoc judge for a three-year term.
The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), chaired by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, is set to meet on Friday to deliberate on the appointment of four retired apex court judges.
While the government strongly believes the need exists for additional judges to clear pending cases, the main opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has termed it a “dishonest” move.
Talking to a private TV channel, Justice (retired) Baqar said that he was deciding against becoming an ad hoc judge due to “personal reasons.”
However, he mentioned that the appointment of ad hoc judges to the apex court is in line with the law and that the criticism is “baseless.”
Backing CJP Qazi Faez Isa’s decision, Baqar, who also served as the caretaker chief minister of Sindh, said that it was “crucial” to appoint ad hoc judges in light of the backlog of cases.
The development comes after PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub, in conversation with journalists in Islamabad, said hiring three or four judges won’t address the issue of thousands of pending cases.
“The motive behind the move is to appoint ‘like-minded’ judges to the Supreme Court. Political workers and the lawyers’ fraternity reject the move,” said Ayub, the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly.
