ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa has convened a meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan on July 19 with the sole agenda of appointing four ad-hoc judges to the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
The meeting aims to determine the names of the four judges who will be appointed as ad-hoc judges in the Apex Court.
Sources say that the Chief Justice has nominated Justice (Retired) Mushir Alam and Justice (Retired) Maqbool Baqar, while Justice (Retired) Mazhar Alam Khan and Justice (Retired) Sardar Tariq Masood are also in contention.
The appointment of ad-hoc judges aims to reduce the burden of pending cases in the apex court.
A retired judge can be appointed as an ad-hoc judge for a period of three years.
According to the Constitution of Pakistan, a panel of 17 judges in the Supreme Court is required for the appointment of ad-hoc judges.
Media reports indicate that the CJP sent a summary to all members of the commission stating that despite their best efforts, cases continue to accumulate, as seen from the Registrar’s note and the reviewed statistics on case pendency.
“Therefore, in view of the huge number of pending cases and the ever-increasing trend of the institution of cases in the Supreme Court, an effective way to ensure that more cases are decided than instituted and to reduce, and hopefully eliminate, the cases which are pending adjudication for several years, it would be appropriate to appoint experienced judges as ad-hoc Judges of the Supreme Court.”
“Such ad-hoc judges can only be appointed if three years have not expired since their retirement. Luckily, we have a number of very experienced judges enjoying excellent reputations who may be appointed.”
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