ISLAMABAD: A current and a former Supreme Court judge have been appointed to a committee tasked with devising criteria for appointing judges to the superior courts.

Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and former judge Manzoor Malik will be the committee’s chairman and co-chairman, respectively.

The unanimous decision was made on Monday in the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) meeting chaired by CJP Qazi Faez Isa. The special committee has been tasked with making suggestions regarding the appointment criteria by Jan 15, 2024.

Other committee members will be the chief justices of high courts, the attorney general for Pakistan (AGP), the federal law minister, representatives of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and all provincial bar councils.

Justice Abbasi suggested as SHC CJ

Sources told Dawn that during the meeting on Monday, Justice Munib Akhtar, a JCP member, highlighted that the incumbent law minister and the AGP represent the caretaker government, which cannot make policy decisions.

Subsequently, the commission, by a majority, decided that the process of division rules should proceed, and the committee was unanimously constituted.

Retired Justice Malik was also appointed as the commission’s member for two years after the term of his predecessor, retired justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany, expired.

SHC chief justice

The JCP also recommended Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi as chief justice of the Sindh High Court.

Justice Abbasi has been serving as the acting chief justice of the SHC since November 3. He took oath after Justice Irfan Saadat Khan was elevated to the Supreme Court. Justice Khan held the office of acting chief justice for hardly a month following the retirement of chief justice Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2023