ISLAMABAD, Dec 26: The President on Wednesday elevated four judges to the Supreme Court, three of them from Lahore High Court, including the sitting Federal Law Secretary Justice Fakeer Mohammad Khokar.

Those elevated to the Supreme Court on Wednesday include Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan, Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court, Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday, Justice Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi and Justice Faqir Mohammad Khokhar of Lahore High Court.

The tradition of elevating the senior most judge of the high court to the Supreme Court has been upheld in the case of Justice Mohammad Raza Khan, but it has been ignored in the case of elevations from Punjab.

Elevation of Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday, the third senior judge of LHC, has allowed the sitting Chief Justice of LHC, to continue in office.

Justice Khokhar was appointed judge of LHC on Dec 10, 1996. Justice Karamat Nazir Bhindari, who had challenged the seniority of Justice Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi in the Supreme Court, would now climb up the seniority ladder, and will be the third senior judge after Chief Justice Falak Sher, and Justice Mian Nazir Akhtar.

The newly appointed judges will take oath on Jan 10, when two posts will fall vacant. Chief Justice Irshad Hasan Khan and Justice Chaudhry Mohammad Arif will lay robes on Jan 6 and 9, respectively.

Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, Judge Peshawar High Court, will be the new Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court from Jan 10, 2002.