ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial has convened the meeting of Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on Nov 1 to consider elevation of Senior Puisne Judge of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Aamer Farooq as Chief Justice.

The seat of IHC Chief Justice is likely to be vacant next week following the appointment of Justice Athar Minallah in the Supreme Court.

JCP in its meeting of Oct 24, which was presided over by Chief Justice Bandial, unanimously approved appointment of Justice Minallah in the Supreme Court.

The panel also approved the candidature of Justice Shahid Waheed of the Lahore High Court and Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi of the Sindh High Court (SHC) with a majority of five to four. The name of Justice Mohammad Shafi Siddiqui of the SHC was dropped.

The Parliamentary Committee on Judges Appointment also convened meeting to deliberate upon JCP’s recommendations, though the agenda of this meeting was to consider the confirmation of LHC’s Judges.

However, the committee can take up any matter with the permission of chair, said the agenda of the Parliamentary Committee.

It is said that the Parliamentary Committee may take up the matter of elevations in the SC on Nov 2.

Justice Minallah subsequently may assume office of the apex court judge after a formal approval of the President.

It is expected that Justice Farooq would become the Chief Justice of IHC in the subsequent week.

Justice Farooq took oath as an Additional Judge of Islamabad High Court on January 1, 2015 and on the recommendation of the JCP he was confirmed as Judge of High Court on December 23, 2015.

During seven years in the IHC, he decided over 10,000 cases in the single bench and about 5,000 cases in the division bench.

He authored landmark judgments in criminal, civil and corporate matters.

Justice Farooq got his Senior Cambridge certificate in 1986 from St. Anthony’s High School Lahore and Higher Senior Cambridge certificate from Aitchison College in the year 1988.

He secured his LLB degree from London University, UK and qualified as Barrister-at-Law from Lincoln’s Inn, London in the year 1993. He was enrolled as an Advocate of the Lahore High Court in the year 1994 and as an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the year 2007.

He established his law practice at Lahore with an Office at Islamabad as well, dealing mostly with banking, commercial, tax and civil matters. Since 2009 until his elevation, he was part of adjunct faculty at Lahore University of Management Sciences.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2022