18 January 2005	Tuesday	07 Zilhaj 1425

ISLAMABAD, Jan 17: Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on Monday said the government had not yet requisitioned any nomination from the Supreme Court for the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).

The post of the CEC fell vacant after Irshad Hasan Khan relinquished his office on January 15. "A judge will be appointed by the chief justice to act as acting-CEC whenever the government asks for a nomination," Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry said while talking to reporters after he had been sworn in as the Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan in a simple but impressive ceremony.

The oath was administered by Justice Rana Bhagwandas. Justice Iftikhar will act as the Chief Justice of Pakistan during the absence of Chief Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqui, who has gone to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj.

The ceremony was attended by judges of the Supreme Court, Chairman of National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC) Justice (retd) Tanvir Ahmad Khan, Adviser to the Prime Minister Sharifuddin Pirzada, Attorney-General Makhdoom Ali Khan, Registrar of the Federal Shariat Court, Director-General of the Federal Judicial Academy, law officers of the government, a large number of advocates, officers and staff of the Supreme Court.

About the backlog of cases, the acting chief justice emphasized the need for improving the mechanism to clear pendency in the Supreme Court, adding that appointment of more judges in the superior judiciary alone would not serve the purpose. "I would like to advise my fellow judges not to give undue adjournments and speed up disposal of cases," he suggested.