The federal law ministry has sent a summary in compliance with the Supreme Court order to the Prime Minister for issuance of notification for the appointment of two judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
According to a senior law ministry official, on the advice of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, President Asif Ali Zardari will issue orders for the appointment of Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui as permanent judge of IHC, besides granting a six-month extension in the tenure of Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi. The moves were recommended by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP).
The JCP recommendation was also endorsed by the parliamentary committee for appointment of superior courts' judges, but the President had not issued a notification in this regard. The President had objected on the composition of the 11-member judicial commission in which Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi sat in place of senior judge Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan who was in Saudi Arabia for performing Hajj when the commission met. The President's action was challenged before the Supreme Court, which on December 21 ordered for the issuance of the notification.