- Several judges confirmed as permanent high court judges.
- Supreme Court judges’ benefits align with FCC counterparts.
- Haroon Akhtar appointed PM’s adviser on industries, production.
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday approved the appointment of additional judges to five high courts and confirmed several additional judges as permanent judges, according to an official statement.
The president approved the appointment of additional judges to the Lahore High Court (LHC), Sindh High Court (SHC), Peshawar High Court (PHC), Islamabad High Court (IHC) and Balochistan High Court (BHC).
He also approved the confirmation of a number of additional judges of the LHC and SHC as permanent judges.
The approvals came a day after the IHC sought responses from the president and the prime minister over a delay in the approval of a summary relating to judicial appointments.
During a hearing on Monday, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir questioned the status of the summary and observed that more than 18 days had passed since it had been forwarded for approval.
The court also issued notices to the president and the prime minister through their respective secretaries and sought replies by Tuesday.
The proceedings stemmed from a petition filed by advocate Luqman Zafar, who argued that nominations for high court judges approved by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) during its meetings on July 20 and 21 had been forwarded to the president through the prime minister under Article 175A(8) of the Constitution but remained pending.
In a written order issued after the hearing, the court directed the federal government and the Ministry of Law to submit reports detailing when the summary was forwarded to the president and what action, if any, had been taken thereafter.
It also sought an explanation of the constitutional implications of leaving advice relating to judicial appointments pending beyond the prescribed period.
Judges’ salaries, allowances and pensions
Separately, President Zardari approved measures to bring the salaries, allowances and pensions of Supreme Court (SC) judges in line with those of judges serving in the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC).
He also approved amendments to the 1997 order relating to leave, pensions and other benefits for high court judges.
PM’s adviser appointed
In a separate decision, the president approved the appointment of Haroon Akhtar as Adviser to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production, the statement added.
