Judicial Commission approves Retired Justice Tariq Masood’s Appointment

Justice (retd) Tariq Masood and Justice (retd) Mazhar Alam appointed for a period of one year,

Islamabad(Mudassar Iqbal);Judicial Commission approves Retired Justice Tariq Masood’s Appointment, Judicial Commission approves Retired Justice Tariq Masood’s Appointment, The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has approved the appointment of retired Justice Tariq Masood as an ad hoc judge for the Supreme Court for a period of one year,

The development came after the JCP meeting headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa held earlier today to discuss the appointment of retired judges to the apex court in a bid to reduce pendency of the cases.

It may be noted that Justice (retd) Miankhel had declined an offer to become an ad hoc judge of the Supreme Court “due to personal reasons”, sources said ahead of the JCP huddle earlier today.

He was the third judge to turn down the proposal.

Before him Justice (retd) Mushir Alam and Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar had also refused appointment as ad hoc judges, which the apex court said were needed to clear a backlog of cases.

The sources said Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Muneeb Akhtar and Justice Yahya Afridi opposed the appointment of Justice (retd) Miankhel as the former judge had already declined the offer.

However, his appointment was approved by a 6:3 majority and now it is up to the former judge that he accepts the offer or maintains previous his stance, they added.

Meanwhile, Justice (retd) Masood’s appointment was approved by 8:1 majority, with Justice Akhtar in opposition, the insiders added.

It is also pertinent to mention that the former ruling party — Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — had asked the JCP to turn down a proposal to hire ad hoc judges, saying the appointment would compromise the independence of the judiciary.

The PTI has been raising concerns over the appointment of ad hoc judges, claiming that the move is aimed at targeting the party, while the government has supported the decision, saying it falls under the ambit of law.

In a letter to the JCP members earlier today, PTI’s Omar Ayub said that he has “great concern” at the recent proposal to appoint ad hoc judges.

Ayub noted that he was writing the letter as the matter of the appointment was not being presented before the parliament’s committee, therefore, PTI lawmakers did not have a platform to voice their concerns.

Ad Hoc Judges Can Help Reduce Judicial Burden, Says Azam Tarar

However, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar put his weight behind the appointment of the retired jurists in the Supreme Court as ad hoc judges, saying that the country’s Constitution allows such appointments.

Key Details:

Approval: The JCP approved the appointment of retired Justice Tariq Masood as an ad hoc judge for the Supreme Court.
Period: The appointment is for a period of one year .
Majority Vote: The approval was made with an 8-1 majority vote .
Opposition: Justice Munib Akhtar opposed the appointment.
Purpose: The appointment aims to reduce the burden of pending cases in the Supreme Court.

Additional Context:

Justice Mazhar Alam becomes 3rd judge to refuse ad hoc position,

Sources reveal that now Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel has also refused the offer for an ad hoc judge. This decision follows similar refusals from Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Maqbool Baqar, who had previously turned down the opportunity to serve as ad hoc judges.

Justice Baqar turned down the offer on Thursday, a day after another fellow nominee for an ad hoc judge, Justice (retd) Mushir Alam refused the post.

Sources revealed that while Justice Baqar had initially supported the appointment, he refused on Thursday, citing personal and domestic reasons. The judge expressed gratitude for the nomination, but ultimately decided not to accept the prestigious position