August 29, 2003	Friday	Jumadi-us-Sani 30, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 28: The appointment of eight judges of the Lahore High Court already approved by President Gen Pervez Musharraf has yet to be notified.

Sources privy to the whole process of appointment of judges told Dawn on Thursday that the file processed for the appointment of eight judges was held up somewhere in the President’s House, even after approval by the president.

They said the name of Nawaz Bhatti, deputy attorney-general who is a relative of the PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujjat Hussain, was included in the list by the Punjab governor, but it was omitted by the “constitutional consultees” at a later stage. It is speculated that this omission may be a reason for the delay.

In the appointment of judges, the opinion of the chief justice of the high court concerned and of the Supreme Court enjoys “primacy” as declared by the Supreme Court in the Judges’ Case.

The persons approved for appointment as additional judges are Bilal Khan, additional advocate-general of Punjab; Nasim Sabir, additional advocate-general of Punjab; Sardar Mohammad Aslam, deputy attorney-general, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Lahore High Court registrar; Mohammad Akram Beeto, sessions judge, Lahore; Muzamil Khan, advocate; Chaudhry Ghani, advocate; and Sheikh Hakim Ali, an advocate from Bahawalpur.