ISLAMABAD, June 15: The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqui, has recommended the names of senior most judges of the high courts to fill the four vacant posts of judges in the Supreme Court , an official source told Dawn here on Tuesday.

"A summary to the effect could not be moved in time because of the resistance against the nomination of some of the judges," the source said. The names which have been recommended are: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Hussain, LHC senior judge Justice Javed Bhuttar, Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Shakirullah Jan and Sindh High Court Chief Justice Syed Saeed Ashhad.

The notification about the elevation of these judges in the apex court would be issued within the next fortnight, the source said. "If the principle of seniority as settled in the famous Judges Case is adhered to, then these judges should be elevated as the judges of the apex court," a senior official of the law ministry conceded when asked.

Four seats of judges in the Supreme Court fell vacant soon after the implementation of the government-Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal accord on the 17th constitutional bill when three years extension granted to the judges was withdrawn.

Consequently, the former chief justice of Pakistan, Justice Sheikh Riaz, along with two judges of the Supreme Court and four other judges of the high courts, who were enjoying extension under the Legal Framework Order, got retired.

Under the LFO, the retirement age of the judges of the Supreme Court and high courts were enhanced from 65 to 68 and 62 to 65, respectively, by amending Article 179 of the Constitution, but the concession was withdrawn under the 17th Amendment on the insistence of the MMA.