IHC clears inter-provincial transfers of Islamabad district judges

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has approved amendment to the Islamabad Judicial Service Rules, 2011, allowing transfer and rotation of judges of capital’s district judiciary to provinces

The amendment, notified through SRO 1341(I)/2026, under clause (a) of Rule 24 of the Islamabad Judicial Service Rules, 2011, and approved by the IHC chief justice, said that judicial officers of the Islamabad district judiciary may be transferred either under the administrative control of the Islamabad High Court or to any other provincial high court by way of rotation.

Lawyers in the federal capital had been demanding such a mechanism for more than a decade, arguing that Islamabad’s district judiciary should have the same opportunities for inter-provincial transfers and rotations available to judges in other provinces.

Representatives of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association, the Islamabad District Bar Association and other legal bodies had been calling for a uniform transfer and rotation policy for the capital’s district judiciary.

The National Judicial Policy Making Committee had also accepted the demand earlier and sent its recommendations to the IHC chief justice.

Lawyers had argued that judges serving in Islamabad should have opportunities for inter-provincial, saying such a mechanism would promote professional balance and provide greater institutional flexibility.

In 2025, a number of district court judges challenged a decision concerning the repatriation of judicial officers serving in Islamabad on deputation from provincial judicial services.

The amended rule is expected to provide the judicial authorities with greater flexibility in deploying judicial officers while addressing a longstanding concern of the legal fraternity.

The mechanism for implementing individual transfers and rotations, including the terms and conditions governing such postings, would be determined by the competent judicial authorities under the applicable rules.