ISLAMABAD/KARACHI/PESHAWAR/QUETTA: The acting chief justices of all four provincial high courts took oath as regular chief justices on Tuesday.
The swearing-in ceremonies came a day after all four chief justices were finally notified by the Ministry of Law and Justice following the approval of President Asif Ali Zardari.
President Zardari administered the oath to Justice Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar as chief justice of the Islamabad High Court at a ceremony held at Aiwan-i-Sadr. Justice Dogar had been serving as acting chief justice since February.
The ceremony was attended by judges of the high court, Senate Chairman Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, ministers, parliamentarians, and members of lawyers’ bodies and legal fraternity, law officers, lawyers, and mediapersons.
In February, five IHC judges had moved the apex court against the appointment of Justice Dogar as the acting chief justice of IHC, as well as the transfer of three high court judges to their court.
The plea was filed by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan and Justice Saman Riffat Imtiaz.
However, the top court, on June 19, dismissed pleas filed against the transfer of judges and ruled that Justice Dogar could continue to work as IHC’s acting chief justice.
Later on, President Asif Ali Zardari formally declared Justice Dogar the “senior-most judge” of the IHC, following the issuance of a revised seniority list by the Ministry of Law and Justice.
It is pertinent to know that the five IHC judges filed an intra-court appeal (ICA) against the SC’s June 19 verdict. In their plea, the judges urged that the Constitutional Bench’s order should be “recalled and set aside […] in the interest of justice”.
Meanwhile, the oath-taking ceremony of the Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Justice Syed Muhammad Attique Shah was held at the Governor’s House.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur met during the event, with Federal Minister Amir Muqam also joining the meeting. The three were seen chatting and exchanging smiles during their interaction. The governor and chief minister, who belong to opposing parties, are often seen exchanging heated words.
Balochistan Governor Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhail administered the oath to Balochistan High Court Chief Rozi Khan Barrech.
Moreover, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori administered the oath to Justice Junaid Ghaffar at a ceremony held at the Governor House in Karachi.
