ISLAMABAD: The Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi with the consultation of other sitting permanent Judges has short-listed names of seven lawyers to fill a vacant office of the judge from the Federal Capital Territory which was had been lying vacant for the last three years.

According to sources in the judiciary, advocates Zullifqar Abbasi, Mujtaba Haider Sheerazi, Anis Jilani,incumbent president of IHC Bar Association Haroon Rashid and former Islamabad District Bar Association President Dr. Syed M. Anwar Shah, Rehaan-ud-Din Golra and a former president IHCBA Nayab Hassan Gerdezi names were short-listed for the vacant office.

Subsequently, after the final scrutiny of these names, the IHC administration would recommend three names to be tabled before the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, the apex forum for the appointment of judges of the superior judiciary.

This has been for the first time since IHC establishment in January 2011 that a resident lawyers from the Islamabad Capital Territory is going to become judge of the IHC.

Under the IHC Act total strength of IHC judges is seven in addition to the Chief Justice and six other judges to be appointed one from each province, one from Islamabad Capital territory and one from Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Furthermore, the Chief Justice shall also be appointed in rotation respectively.

Since its establishment in January 2011, the IHC had no representation from the Federal Capital.

In addition to the vacant office of IHC judge from the federal capital, two other offices one each from Balochistan and FATA are also lying vacant. The Judicial Commission of Pakistan in its meeting on October 27, 2011, recommended the names of Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui from Punjab,Justice Noorul Haq N. Quraishi from Sindh for the vacant offices of the IHC judges.

Currently, there are four IHC judges including Chief Justice Mohammed Anwar Khan Kasi, Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan from KPK, Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi from Sindh and Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui from Punjab, working in the IHC.
Under Article 175-A of the constitution for the appointment of IHC judge, the Judicial Commission comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan, senior most judges of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice and senior most judge of the IHC, a former Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, law minister, attorney general and senior advocate nominated by the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) would recommend the name of future IHC judge to the parliamentary committee for the appointment of judges.

The parliamentary committee under the constitutional mandate would take its decision on the Judicial Commission's recommendations in a fortnight which would be further forwarded to the competent authorities for formal approval for issuance of the notifications regarding appointment of the judges of the superior courts.

Source: APP