Five judges from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) have expressed worries regarding the updated seniority list following the recent transfer of three judges from the provincial high courts.
The Judges have formally addressed these concerns to IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and sent a copy to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi.
The judges—Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, and Justice Saman Riffat Imtiaz—have requested the postponement of the upcoming Judicial Commission meeting, which is set to discuss appointments to the Supreme Court. They argue that the meeting should be delayed until the seniority disputes, prompted by the transfers, are satisfactorily resolved.
The core of the dispute revolves around the oaths taken by judges when transferred to a different high court. According to the judges, the Constitution mandates that a transferred judge must take a new oath upon joining another high court and that their seniority should be recalibrated from the date of the new oath.
Read: Islamabad High Court Judges Raise Concerns Over Proposed Chief Justice Appointment
The representation strictly concerns judicial seniority and does not address the transfers themselves. Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir are expected to make additional representations.
Following integrating the new judges, Chief Justice Farooq implemented several administrative changes. He has designated Justice Sardar Sarfaraz Dogar as the administrative judge for both the anti-terrorism courts and the accountability courts, roles previously held by Justice Kayani.
Justice Muhammad Azam Khan has been named the administrative judge of the district courts (West) Islamabad, while Justice Tahir will oversee the FIA courts and Justice Saman the banking courts. These adjustments underscore the evolving dynamics within the IHC following the judicial reshuffle.
