Islamabad (Web Desk): Six newly appointed judges of the Supreme Court (SC) took oath of their offices on Friday.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi administered oath to newly-appointed judges in a swearing-in ceremony at the Supreme Court.
The judges include, former Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court (BHC), Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, ex-Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court (SHC), Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, and senior SHC judge Salahuddin Panhwar.
Additionally, former Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Aamer Farooq, and ex-Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim also took their oaths.
CJP Afridi also administered the oath of office to Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb, who has been appointed as an acting judge of the Supreme Court.
The ceremony was attended by SC judges, the Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP), senior lawyers, journalists, judicial staff, as well as office-bearers of the Supreme Court Bar Association and the Pakistan Bar Council.
This was part of a broader set of judicial appointments that saw the Ministry of Law and Justice announce the elevation of these six judges on Thursday.
Meanwhile, President Zardari administered oath to Justice Sarfraz Dogar as the acting IHC CJ.
Separately, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori administered the oath to Justice Junaid Ghaffar, who was appointed as the acting Chief Justice of the SHC.
The oath-taking ceremonies also included appointments in Peshawar and Quetta, with Justice Attique Shah becoming the acting Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court, who was administered oath by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, and Balochistan Governor Jaffar Mandokhail administered oath to Justice Ejaz Swati as the acting Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court (BHC).
These judges are set to hold their acting roles until permanent appointments are made.
Earlier on Monday, a meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) took place to discuss nominations for new Supreme Court judges.
This meeting, however, saw a notable absence as two senior Supreme Court judges, along with two opposition party members, chose to boycott the session.
The JCP, led by CJP Yahya Afridi, proceeded to consider the proposed appointments and, after deliberation, approved them through a majority vote.
The decision was later confirmed via a statement issued on the Supreme Court's official website. Despite the boycott, the process continued and concluded with the majority backing the nominations.