• Selection turns politically sensitive as opposition alliance plans protest movement• IHC administration forwards three names for vacant positions• Islamabad lawyers demand vacancies be filled from capital’s legal fraternity
ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) is set to convene on July 20 to select three judges for the Islamabad High Court (IHC), a task that has evolved from a routine administrative matter into a politically sensitive decision.
The contest for the vacant seats is expected to be intense, as stakeholders are reportedly keen to avoid alienating the federal capital’s legal fraternity on the eve of a major opposition campaign.
The IHC administration, led by Chief Justice Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, has forwarded three names to the JCP for the vacant positions. The official nominees are District and Sessions Judge Shahrukh Arjumand, former advocate general Islamabad Ayyaz Shaukat, who currently serves as chairman of the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority, and advocate Umair Majeed Malik.
The finalisation of these names came after the JCP, in its June 19 meeting chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, approved new rules and set July 4 as the deadline for nominations. Under the newly approved framework, a seven-member interview panel has been established to vet candidates.
