President Asif Ali Zardari has officially appointed Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar as the senior-most judge of the Islamabad High Court (IHC). He also made permanent the transfers of Justice Dogar and two other judges to the IHC.
The New Seniority List:
- Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar – Senior-most judge
- Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani – Senior puisne judge (second most senior)
- Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb
- Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri
- Justice Babar Sattar
- Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan
- Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir
- Justice Saman Riffat Imtiaz
- Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro (transferred)
- Justice Azam Khan
- Justice Muhammad Asif (transferred)
- Justice Inam Amin Minhas
The Controversy:
- Just before this list was finalized, five IHC judges (Justices Kayani, Jahangiri, Sattar, Ejaz Khan, and Imtiaz) formally objected to the Supreme Court’s decision allowing these transfers.
- They argue that when a judge is moved to a different high court:
- They should take a new oath.
- Their seniority should start from the date they join the new court, not their original appointment date elsewhere.
- This means transferred judges should rank below existing judges of the IHC.
- As a sign of protest, these five judges did not attend a recent ceremony where Justice Dogar took an oath as acting chief justice.
What Happens Next:
- The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) is meeting on July 1st.
- They are expected to discuss appointing permanent Chief Justices for the Islamabad, Sindh, and Peshawar High Courts.
- Justice Dogar, Justice Kayani, and Justice Aurangzeb are the candidates being considered for Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court.
In Simple Terms: The President has confirmed Justice Dogar as the top judge in Islamabad and finalized who comes after him. However, several other judges strongly disagree with how these appointments affect seniority, arguing transferred judges shouldn’t jump ahead. This dispute will now be looked at by the top judicial appointment body.it covers a complex judicial situation: President Zardari appointing Justice Dogar as senior-most judge of Islamabad High Court, the new seniority list, and the controversy surrounding transferred judges. The key elements include the presidential notification, the revised seniority order, the protest by five judges, and the upcoming Judicial Commission meeting. The user likely wants this made accessible for someone without legal background – perhaps for educational purposes, personal understanding, or content creation. The challenge is to simplify judicial terminology like “senior puisne judge” and “transferred judges” while keeping the power dynamics clear .I notice this follows several similar requests about fuel prices, infrastructure failures, rescue operations, and India-Pakistan military claims. The user appears to be systematically processing Pakistan’s current affairs. They might be a journalist, researcher, or educator compiling simplified news summaries .For this rewrite, I’ll focus on: – Clearly presenting the key appointment and seniority list- Explaining the judges’ protest in simple terms- Mentioning the upcoming judicial commission meeting- Avoiding legal jargon while maintaining accuracy- Keeping it under 300 words as requested .The controversy aspect is particularly important to explain simply – how some judges believe transferred judges shouldn’t jump ahead in seniority. I’ll use phrases like “objected to” instead of “contended that” and “protested by not attending” rather than “symbolic protest that underlined the deepening rift.”
