The Judicial Commission of Pakistan has approved the elevation of Justice Ali Baqar Najafi of the Lahore High Court to the Supreme Court, following a majority vote in a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi.
According to sources, the commission decided to appoint only one judge of the LHC to the Supreme Court instead of the two initially considered. Justice Baqar Najafi’s nomination was approved by a vote of 10 in favour and three against. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) representatives Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Barrister Ali Zafar also supported the appointment.
The commission meeting, held in Islamabad, lasted approximately two and a half hours and involved extensive deliberations. During the session, previous observations made against Justice Shujaat Ali Khan and Justice Baqar Najafi were officially deleted from the record. However, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah opposed the removal of these observations, sources said.
In another key development, the commission agreed to appoint new members in place of the current acting chief justices of four high courts — Sindh, Balochistan, Peshawar, and Islamabad. The following retired justices have been nominated as new members of the Judicial Commission:
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Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar – representing Sindh High Court
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Justice (retd) Nazir Langove – representing Balochistan High Court
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Justice (retd) Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui – representing Islamabad High Court
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Justice (retd) Shakirullah Jan – representing Peshawar High Court
The appointment of permanent chief justices for these four high courts is expected to be finalized in the next Judicial Commission meeting scheduled for April 18.
