ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has set the dates for upcoming meetings to consider the appointment of additional judges to high courts. The first session is scheduled for January 17 to review nominations for the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and the Balochistan High Court (BHC). Further meetings will be held on January 23 for the Sindh High Court (SHC), February 1 for the Peshawar High Court (PHC), and February 6 for the Lahore High Court (LHC).
This follows the JCP’s request for nominations to fill 38 vacancies across various high courts, with 12 for SHC, 4 for IHC, 10 for LHC, 9 for PHC, and 3 for BHC. The nominations were due by January 3, 2025. The proposed candidates for these vacancies include prominent names such as Adnan Baharat, Syed Qamar Sabzwari, and Ayyaz Shaukat for IHC, and Asif and Zahoor Ahmed Mengal for BHC.
The JCP’s rules for appointing judges to the superior judiciary were officially notified in December 2024, providing a clear framework for evaluating the suitability and fitness of candidates. The Commission, under the leadership of Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, has been actively working to streamline the judicial appointment process in line with recent reforms.
In another update, the Supreme Court of Pakistan announced that it had disposed of 7,482 cases between October 28, 2024, and January 3, 2025, significantly outpacing the 2,950 new cases filed during this period. The court attributed this achievement to effective case load management, the allocation of resources, and the implementation of judicial reforms aimed at increasing efficiency and transparency.
Chief Justice Afridi has emphasized the importance of judicial reforms, including the integration of technology to improve case management and facilitate quicker decision-making. Efforts to enhance public access to justice include the introduction of e-affidavits and instant certified copies. Additionally, CJP Afridi has been actively visiting remote districts to assess the state of justice delivery and identify ways to address challenges in the district judiciary, which forms the foundation of the country’s legal system.
