For the third consecutive week this month, the Supreme Court of Pakistan continues to work without its full strength as five of its members retired during the month on reaching the age of 65 years.
The cause list for the next judicial week commencing from Monday, the nation's highest appeal forum will work with four benches instead of six or seven that were made from full strength of 17 judges.
Next week will have three full and one division bench that adds up to eleven judges while the twelfth is on a short leave.
Most of the cases listed pertain to appeals against removal or dismissal from the service with the largest appeals by the former employees of the State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan.
Another insurance firm, the Premier Insurance Company has gone into appeal against the assessment of income tax and is seeking its review in seven separate appeals.
Appeals from four directors of the Pakistan International Airlines, like Mustafa F Ansari, Sikander Elahi, Mumtaz Ahmed and Shahid M Islam are listed before the First Bench that is presided over by Chief Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqui.
In this case it is the Airlines that has gone into appeal against a decision of the Federal Service Tribunal that favoured the former executives of the national flag carrier.
The Third Bench will also take up the appeal of Westinghouse Electric Corporation of the United States against the WAK Orient Power and Light Limited company that is owned by Senator Gulzar Ahmed Khan.
The case pertains to demand of a performance bond in a sub-contract for a power generation project.
A number of banks are suing their clients for recovery of loans.
The composition of the Benches is:
FIRST BENCH: Chief Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqui, Justice Javed Iqbal and Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar.
SECOND BENCH: Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Rana Baghwandas and Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan.
THIRD BENCH: Justice Mian Muhammad Ajmal, Justice Hamid Ali Mirza and Justice Falak Sher.
FOURTH BENCH: Justice Syed Deedar Hussain Shah and Justice Faqir Muhammad Khokhar.