ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has approved the appointment of six permanent judges and one acting judge for the Supreme Court.
According to an official statement, the meeting was chaired by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi. The commission approved the appointments by a majority vote.
The judges appointed to the Supreme Court are Chief Justice Aamer Farooq of the Islamabad High Court, Chief Justice Shafi Siddiqui of the Sindh High Court, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar of the Sindh High Court, Chief Justice Hashim Khan Kakar of the Balochistan High Court, Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim of the Peshawar High Court, and Justice Shakeel Ahmed.
The commission also approved the appointment of Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb as an acting judge of the Supreme Court under Article 181 of the Constitution.
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As an acting judge, Justice Aurangzeb will no longer be in the running for the position of Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court. Acting judges are appointed for a specific period, without a fixed constitutional term. The President of Pakistan will formally appoint Justice Aurangzeb as an acting judge.
During the meeting, Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Muneeb Akhtar boycotted the proceedings. Chief Justice Afridi and Justice Shah also had a heated exchange. Additionally, PTI members Barrister Gohar and Ali Zafar also walked out of the meeting.