Ten additional LHC judges sworn in after appointment deadlock

Ten additional judges of the Lahore High Court took oath on Tuesday after President Asif Ali Zardari approved

LAHORE: Ten additional judges of the Lahore High Court took oath on Tuesday after President Asif Ali Zardari approved their appointments, bringing an end to a weeks-long delay over their induction.

Chief Justice Aalia Neelum administered the oath to the newly appointed judges during a ceremony at the Lahore High Court.

The judges who took oath were Ghulam Sarwar Nihung, Muhammad Ajmal Khan Zahid, Aamir Ajam Malik, Shireen Imran, Asad Ali Bajwa, Muhammad Amjad Pervez, Khalid Ibn-i-Aziz, Munawar Iqbal Duggal, Syed Farhad Ali Shah and Muhammad Usman Ghani Rashid Cheema.

Justice Tariq Mahmood Bajwa also took oath as a permanent judge of the Lahore High Court after completing his probationary period.

The newly appointed additional judges will serve for one year from the date they took oath.

Despite the latest appointments, the Lahore High Court still has 10 vacant positions against its approved strength of 60 judges. The number of vacancies is expected to rise to 11 following the retirement of Justice Shahid Karim next week.

Earlier on Tuesday, President Zardari approved the appointment of 19 additional judges to five high courts. He also confirmed five judges as permanent members of the superior judiciary.

The appointments had remained pending since July after the Judicial Commission of Pakistan recommended the candidates for the positions.

The delay had led to a dispute over the presidential approval process. The oath-taking ceremony had initially been scheduled for July 27 but was postponed indefinitely.

The issue gained further attention after the president neither approved the appointment summary nor returned it for reconsideration within the expected period.

The government had maintained that there was no legal basis for keeping the recommendations pending. At one stage, officials even considered constitutional options to address the delay.

Meanwhile, legal teams representing the presidency and the federal government held discussions to resolve the matter.

Sources said the talks between the two sides made progress and helped pave the way for the appointments to be approved.

The president’s legal team had previously raised concerns about the proceedings of the Judicial Commission. Questions were also raised over the rejection of several nominees and the eligibility of some recommended candidates.

The dispute had also raised concerns about delays in filling vacant judicial positions in the high courts.