The Judicial Commission of Pakistan is set to hold an important meeting on Monday at 2 pm to discuss the appointment of eight new judges to the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
The meeting will take place under the chairmanship of Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Yahya Afridi, in the Supreme Court's conference room.
The matter of judicial appointments has remained controversial for several months due to disagreements over the seniority of judges. The Judicial Commission has called for the submission of names of senior judges from Pakistan's five High Courts — Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Islamabad, and Quetta — to assist in the selection process.
The meeting will determine whether the appointments will be made immediately or if further consultations are required.
The dispute surrounding the appointments began when four senior judges of the Supreme Court — Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Ayesha Malik, and Justice Athar Minallah — wrote a letter to the Chief Justice requesting the delay of the appointment process.
In the letter, the judges argued that the potential formation of a full court to hear the case on the 26th Constitutional Amendment could lead to complications if new judges were appointed.
Additionally, the judges raised concerns regarding the constitutional re-oath requirement after the transfer of three judges from the Islamabad High Court, which was not adhered to, thus calling into question their judicial status.
Senator Ali Zafar had also requested a postponement of the meeting, referencing the ongoing seniority dispute among Islamabad High Court judges. In a letter to Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, Senator Zafar emphasised that the meeting should be delayed until the issue of seniority was resolved. The four senior judges of the Supreme Court had similarly requested the postponement of the meeting.
