Permanent chief justices to be appointed in all high courts

It has been decided to appoint permanent chief justices in all four high courts, including the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The sources have claimed that the meeting of the Judicial Commission scheduled for May 2 has been rescheduled. The meeting of the Judicial Commission will now be held on May 19.

However, the appointment of the chief justices of the Balochistan and Sindh High Courts will be considered in the meeting of the Judicial Commission to be held on May 19.

Moreover, nominations have been invited for all four provincial high courts by May 4. The names of three senior judges will be considered for the appointment of permanent chief justices in the high courts.

In addition, the dispute over judges’ seniority in the IHC is under hearing in the constitutional bench. The constitutional bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar will hear the case on April 22.

On the other hand,  Chief Justice Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi will pay an official visit to China with a high judicial delegation from April 22 to 26. During this time, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah will be the acting Chief Justice (CJ) of Pakistan.

According to the Supreme Court (SC) statement, the delegation will represent Pakistan at the conference of Chief Justices of SCO member countries. The Chief Justice will be accompanied by Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Shahid Waheed, District and Sessions Judge Gwadar Zafar Jan and Senior Civil Judge Lakki Marwat Nadia Gul Wazir.

During the visit, A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Supreme Court of China is also expected to be signed. The Chief Justice will also meet his Iranian counterpart on the sidelines of the conference. Justice Shahid Waheed will address a meeting on the use of artificial intelligence in the judiciary.