On a notable Friday, six distinguished judges of the Supreme Court embraced their new roles by taking the solemn oath of office at a grand ceremony held in this esteemed city.
Leading the significant event, Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Yahya Afridi, gracefully administered the oath, imbuing the moment with an air of dignity.
The august gathering was graced by the presence of fellow judges from the apex court and revered members of the legal fraternity.
Among those who took the solemn oath were: Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar, Justice Shakeel Ahmad, Justice Aamer Farooq, and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim. Additionally, enhancing the composition of the Supreme Court, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb from the Islamabad High Court (ICH) took the oath as an esteemed acting judge of the Supreme Court.
The oath-takign ceremony was originally scheduled for Thursday, Feb 13. However, it was postponed till Friday due to a delay in the issuance of the notification of the new judges as it was issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice late at night.
The Judicial Commission of Pakistan had approved the appointment of new judges to apex court amid boycott by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and two senior judges.
Meanwhile, acting chief justices of Sindh and Peshawar high courts took oath in Karachi and Peshawar.
Sindh: Governor Kamran Tessori administered the oath to acting Chief Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar at Governor’s House in Karachi.
Justice Zafar Rajput, Justice Zafar Iqbal, Justice Yousuf Syed, Justice Amjad Sahato, head of the Constitutional Bench Justice Agha Faisal, and Justice Sana Akram Minhas also attended the ceremony.
Justice Junaid Ghaffar was born on Sept 14, 1963, obtained his law degree in 1990, and was appointed as an additional judge of the Sindh High Court in 2013. He became the most senior judge in the Sindh High Court after the elevation of Justice Shafi Siddiqui and Justice Salahuddin Panhor to the Supreme Court.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Governor Faisal Karim Kundi administered the oath to Justice S.M Atiq Shah as acting chief justice of Peshawar High Court.