National

JCP approves elevation of CHC CJ Athar Minallah, LHC Justice Shahid Waheed & SHC Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi to SC

ISLAMABAD, Oct 24 (SABAH): The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has approved the elevation of three high courts judges including Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Lahore High Court Justice Shahid Waheed and Sindh High Court Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi to the Supreme Court of Pakistan here on Monday.

The breakthrough was reached in the appointment of the judges as the two government of JCP Minister for Law and Justice Senator Chaudhry Azam Nazeer Tarar and Attorney General for Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali supported the nominees of the JCP Chairman and CJP Umar Ata Bandial.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial on Monday presided over the JCP meeting to consider the four nominees — IHC CJ Athar Minallah; Lahore High Court judge Justice Shahid Waheed; and two Sindh High Court judges Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui.

In the meeting, the JCP unanimously approved elevation of the IHC CJ Athar Minallah to the Supreme Court while by majority of five to four deferred the nomination of SHC Judge Shafi Saddiqui.

The JCP by majority five to four votes also approved nominations of LHC Judge Justice Shahid Waheed and SHC Judge Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi.

CJP Bandial had last week proposed the names of IHC CJ Athar Minallah and three junior judges of the high courts for their elevation to the top court.

The chief justice had nominated four high court judges despite the fact that there were five vacant seats of the apex court.

Justice Shahid Waheed is the fourth senior-most judge of the LHC. Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi is also at fourth number in SHC seniority list and Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui is at sixth number on the SHC judges’ seniority list.

Since February this year, no SC judge has been appointed. CJP Bandial had summoned a meeting of the JCP on July 28 to consider his five nominees, but a consensus could not be evolved among the body’s members.