Supreme Court to appoint two ad hoc judges tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Law and Justice announced on Saturday the appointment of Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel as ad hoc judges to the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

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A notification issued from the ministry today said, “The President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is pleased to appoint Mr Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Mr Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, former judges of the Supreme Court, as ad hoc judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to attend the sittings of the court for a period of one year with effect from the date they enter upon their offices.”

Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa will administer the oath to both the ad hoc judges. The oath taking ceremony will be held in the Judges Block Committee Room of the Supreme Court Building at 11 AM.

On Friday, President Asif Ali Zardari had approved the appointments, following a summary submitted by the ministry. Earlier, on July 19, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) endorsed the nominations of the two retired judges despite facing significant opposition from certain lawyers and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Justice Masood’s nomination received an 8 to 1 majority vote, while Justice Miankhel’s was approved by a 6 to 3 majority.

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Prior to the JCP meeting, Justice Miankhel had conveyed his hesitancy to accept the ad hoc appointment. He had cited a social media campaign against his appointment in his refusal WhatsApp message. He had also conveyed the same to the media. However, majority of JCP members recommended re-consulting Justice Miankhel.

Three members—Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, and Justice Yahya— argued that if Justice Miankhel felt pressured by social media, he might not be the best candidate for the role. Despite this back and forth, on July 20, Justice Miankhel conveyed his agreement to accept the position.