JCP defers confirmation of 13 addl LHC judges

ISLAMABAD: The confirmation of 13 additional judges of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday remained inconclusive during a meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) and the matter was deferred for an indefinite period.

The meeting was held here at the Supreme Court of Pakistan, chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umer Ata Bandial. According to sources, Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti told the JCP that he was not feeling well and could not examine the documents of judges. He requested Justice Bandial to defer the matter and it was done.

The judges are Justice Sohail Nasir, Justice Shakeel Ahmed, Justice Safdar Saleem, Justice Nadeem Arshid, Justice Tariq Nadeem, Justice Amjad Rafique, Justice Abid Hussain Chattha, Justice Anwaar Hussain, Justice Ali Zia Bajwa, Justice Sultan Tanvir Ahmed, Justice Muhammad Raza Qureshi, Justice Shan Gul and Justice Raheel Kamran Sheikh. The JCP consists of nine members including the CJP being its chairman, four senior judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, a retired judge, the Law minister, the attorney general of Pakistan and a Pakistan Bar Council representative.

The commission had been constituted under the 18th Amendment. After the commission recommends names for appointment to the superior judiciary, it is then forwarded to a parliamentary committee which has the authority to approve or disapprove any name.