ISLAMABAD: In a first, Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Justice Aamer Farooq, has nominated judges from Islamabad’s subordinate judiciary for elevation to the superior judiciary.

Sources disclosed that the nominees include District and Sessions Judges Shahrukh Arjumand, Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan, Azam Khan, and Rukhshanda Shaheen.

Among them, one or two judges are likely to be promoted to the IHC.

This marks a significant shift, as since the IHC’s establishment in 2011, no judge from the sessions courts has ever been recommended for elevation to the high court.

Previously, initial appointments to the IHC included Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman, transferred from the Lahore High Court (LHC) as Chief Justice, and lawyers Riaz Ahmed Khan and Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi, a sessions judge from Balochistan Judicial Service, were appointed as the judges of the high court.

Despite repeated appeals from the local judiciary for elevation, these requests were overlooked in subsequent appointments. However, this nomination aligns with the guidelines issued by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), which will review and finalise recommendations for upcoming appointments to the IHC.

The move is seen as a step toward acknowledging the contributions of Islamabad’s judiciary and ensuring a more inclusive process for judicial elevations.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2024