The Judicial Commission of Pakistan in its meeting held on Saturday prepared recommendations for appointment of Justice Iqbal Hameed ur Rehman as Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court (IHC) and two other judges, besides taking up issue of one-year extension to about 32 additional judges of the High Courts.

The seven-member Judicial Commission meeting was chaired by its Chairman/ Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

According to sources, the Commission recommended the name of Justice Iqbal Hameed ur Rehman, 56-year old judge of Lahore High Court who is a son of former Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Hamoodur Rahman and he was among the judges who refused to take oath under Provisional Constitutional Order of November 3, 2007.

While names of Justice Anwar Kansi of Balochistan High Court and Justice Riaz Khan of Peshawar High Court were recommended as the judges of IHC.

The Commission discussed one-year extension issue of additional judges of the High Courts and recommended the names of Justice Tahira Safdar, Jusitce Jamal Mandokhel, Justice Mustafa Mengal and Justice Noor Muhammad Maskeen for further one year term as judges of the Balochistan High Court.

It also considered extension issue of nine additional judges of the Sindh High Court and recommended names of Justice Shahid Anwar Bajwah, Justice Irfan Sadaat Khan, justice Ghulam Sarwar, Justice Tufail H. Ibrahim, Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi and justice Moneeb Akhtar for further one year term while it dropped two names of Justice Rukhsana Ahmed and Justice Bhajan Das while deferring consideration of the name of Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh till next meeting, the sources said.

The Commission also discussed names of 7 additional judges of the Peshawar High Court.

The meeting also deferred consideration of names of 12 additional judges of the Lahore High Court till next meeting.

The proposed names will now be forwarded to a parliamentary committee for approval.

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Committee Dr Babar Awan, who is also member of the JC, told media-men after the meeting that consensus was achieved on all issues.
Other members of the commission were Justice Javed Iqbal and Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, senior most judges of the apex Court, Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq, Law Minister for Law, Justice Dr Babar Awan, Pakistan Bar Council member Dr Khalid Ranjha and Justice (retd) Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry.

Chief Justice Khawaja Sharif of the Lahore High Court (LHC), Chief Justice Sindh High Court Sarmad Jalal Osmany, Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa also attended the meeting.