ISLAMABAD: The judicial bureaucracy is considering the transfer of at least one judge from the Lahore High Court to the Islamabad High Court to fill a vacancy created after the transfer of Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani to the Lahore High Court, sources told Dawn.

The proposal is part of a broader exercise initiated after the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) decided not to treat vacancies created by the recent transfer of three IHC judges as fresh vacancies, opting instead to fill them through reciprocal transfers from provincial high courts.

The JCP, during its meeting on April 28, approved the transfer of Justice Kayani to the LHC, Justice Babar Sattar to Peshawar High Court and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz to Sindh High Court. The commission also decided that the resulting vacancies in IHC would not be filled through fresh appointments.

According to sources, at least four judges of LHC are under consideration for transfer to IHC.

The names being discussed include Justice Jawad Hassan, Justice Sultan Tanveer Ahmed, Justice Syed Ahsan Raza Kazmi and Justice Javed Iqbal Wains.

The possibility of filling the IHC vacancy through a transfer from the LHC has, however, generated reservations within both the bench and the legal fraternity in Islamabad, where lawyers have been demanding that vacant positions be filled through appointments from among the local bar.

The controversy stems from the JCP’s decision that the vacancies created by the transfer of the three IHC judges should be filled through corresponding transfers from the respective provincial high courts.

A member of the commission had earlier told Dawn that the decision was aimed at maintaining equilibrium among the high courts.

The move has nevertheless invited criticism from lawyers and judges who argue that the situation in the IHC is distinguishable because three judges from provincial high courts, including Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar, were transferred to the IHC in February 2025. Legal circles contend that no reciprocal transfers from the IHC to provincial high courts took place at that time, creating what they describe as an imbalance in representation.

The local lawyers had opposed the decision, insisting that vacancies in the high court should be filled by “qualified and deserving members of the legal fraternity” from Islamabad. Members of the legal community argue that further transfers would reduce the already limited representation of Islamabad-based lawyers in the capital’s high court.

Sources within the judiciary said efforts were underway to persuade the JCP to revisit its decision and consider treating the latest transfers of IHC judges as reciprocal adjustments against the transfers made to the IHC last year.

Some members of the commission are believed to favour a review of the matter, citing precedents where the JCP reconsidered and modified its earlier observations.

The issue has also unsettled sections of the district judiciary and practising lawyers who had hoped that the availability of multiple vacancies in the IHC would create opportunities for elevation from the subordinate judiciary and the Islamabad bar.

While no final decision has yet been taken, sources said the proposal to transfer a judge from LHC to the IHC may come up for discussion when the judicial commission resumes deliberations on judicial appointments later this month.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2026