In an important development on Saturday, one judge each from the Lahore High Court, Sindh High Court, and Balochistan High Court has been transferred to the Islamabad High Court.
An official notification has also been issued in this regard.
According to the official notification, Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar from the Lahore High Court (LHC), Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro from the Sindh High Court (SHC), and Justice Muhammad Asif from the Balochistan High Court (BHC) have been transferred to the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Notably, IHC judges recently wrote a letter to the Chief Justices of the Supreme Court and high courts, voicing concerns over the appointment of a transferred judge to the IHC’s top position. They urged the judiciary to oppose this move.
The letter highlighted that the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) had introduced new rules last year, which stipulated that the chief justice of a high court should be selected from the five most senior judges. However, the seniority principle was not followed in this case.
The letter was signed by IHC’s senior puisne judge, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, along with Justices Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Babar Sattar, Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, and Saman Rafat Imtiaz. While Justices Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb were mentioned in the letter, they did not sign it.
Earlier, the transfer decision was finalized in a high-level meeting in Islamabad, attended by senior judicial officials and government ministers.
Judicial sources confirmed that consultations with the LHC chief justice had been completed, while discussions with the SHC and BHC were in the final stages.
It has also been reported that Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar is expected to serve as a senior judge at the IHC. With the anticipated elevation of IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq to the Supreme Court, Justice Dogar is likely to be appointed as the next Chief Justice of the IHC.
