ISLAMABAD President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday appointed a new chief justice of Lahore High Court and four new judges of the Supreme Court, most of whom were directly affected by former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf's emergency rule order.
   
The appointments have been made on the recommendation of Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry, himself the biggest affectee of Gen. Musharraf's Provisional Constitution Order of Nov 3, 2007.
   
An official announcement said Mr. Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif, judge of Lahore High Court, has been elevated to the position of chief justice of Lahore High Court. He was recently restored along with CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry.
   
His appointment became possible as on CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry's recommendation, the incumbent chief justice of Lahore High Court, Mr. Justice Zahid Hussain, was elevated to become a judge of the Supreme Court.
  
Three more high court judges, who had retired during the period when they had remained deposed after having refused to take oath under the PCO, have also been appointed as judges of the Supreme Court. They include Mr. Justice (retd) Ghulam Rabbani, former judge of Sindh High Court. For a brief period he was also an ad hoc judge of the Supreme Court, and was on the bench headed by Justice Ramday that had restored CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry after his first 'suspension' in early 2007.
   
The two former judges of the Lahore High Court who have been re-appointed and made judges of the Supreme Court are, Mr. Justice (retd) Muhammad Said Ali and Mr. Justice (retd) M. A. Shahid Siddiqui.