Judicial Commission Recommends Permanent Appointment of Four High Court Judges
The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on Monday recommended that three additional judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and one additional judge of the Balochistan High Court (BHC) be confirmed as permanent judges.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the JCP— the constitutional body responsible for appointments to the superior judiciary — chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi.
According to a press release issued by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the commission “recommended, by majority, the confirmation of the following additional judges as judges of the Islamabad High Court after due consideration of the relevant data forms, antecedents and evaluation of material placed before it.”
The judges recommended for confirmation at the IHC are Additional Judges Muhammad Azam Khan, Muhammad Asif and Inaam Ameen Minhas.
The press release added that, “by consensus of the members present,” the commission also approved the confirmation of Justice Najamuddin Mengal, an additional judge of the Balochistan High Court, as a permanent judge.
However, the JCP did not recommend, by majority, the confirmation of Additional Judge Ayub Khan of the BHC.
The four judges approved by the commission will be confirmed as permanent judges following the president’s assent.
Among the IHC judges, Justice Azam Khan and Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas were appointed directly as additional judges to the Islamabad High Court. Justice Muhammad Asif was initially appointed to the Balochistan High Court and later transferred to the IHC through a presidential order that also transferred incumbent IHC Chief Justice Mohammad Sarfaraz Dogar to Islamabad.
Those transfers and the subsequent elevation of Justice Dogar as chief justice triggered unprecedented internal discord within the IHC. Several judges appeared as litigants before the Supreme Court, while two judges attended proceedings before the Sindh High Court as private petitioners in a case related to Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri’s academic degree.
In 2025, the Islamabad High Court decided at least 16,000 cases. Official figures show that Justice Minhas recorded the highest number of case disposals, deciding 2,039 cases in single benches and more than 500 cases in division benches. Justice Azam Khan disposed of 1,841 cases in single benches and around 600 cases in division benches, while Justice Asif decided 1,338 cases.
Justice Asif is also facing a complaint before the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), alleging misuse of authority to influence proceedings in a hit-and-run case involving his son.
According to the complaint, submitted by Advocate Inamul Rahim on December 25, the incident occurred on December 2 last year near the Pakistan National Council of Arts, where a speeding SUV allegedly driven by Justice Asif’s son struck a scooter, killing two girls on the spot. A judicial magistrate later granted bail to the accused on December 6 after the victims’ families pardoned him in court.
