Five Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges have challenged the recently released seniority list, submitting a representation to the IHC Chief Justice and Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi. The dispute centers on the interpretation of seniority following the transfer of judges from other High Courts.

The seniority list, approved by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, was released on Monday. However, Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri, Babar Sattar, Sardar Ijaz Asghar Khan, and Saman Riffat Imtiaz have filed a representation contesting its accuracy. Justices Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb and Arbab Muhammad Tahir may also file separate representations.

The judges’ representation argues that a judge takes an oath specific to the High Court where they are appointed. They contend that according to the constitution, a transfer to another High Court necessitates a new oath, and seniority should be determined based on this new oath. The representation clarifies that the dispute concerns seniority, not the recent judge transfers themselves.

The judges have also requested that CJP Afridi postpone the Judicial Commission meeting until the seniority issue is resolved.

This development follows the transfer of one judge each from the Lahore, Sindh, and Balochistan High Courts to the IHC on February 1st by President Asif Zardari. On February 3rd, Justice Sarfraz Dogar was appointed senior puisne judge and head of Bench No. 2, replacing Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani.