Justice Minallah's elevation to SC approved.

The parliamentary committee on the appointment of judges has urgently approved the elevation of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah to the Supreme Court.

It also approved the nomination of the senior puisne judge, Justice Aamer Farooq, as the new IHC CJ, who now faces a massive challenge in view of the prevailing political situation.

The committee, however, deferred the matter regarding the elevation of two junior judges of the high courts to the apex court for further consideration.

A meeting under the chairmanship of Dr Fehmida Mirza was held to consider the proposal of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) regarding the elevation of three high court judges, including the IHC CJ to the SC.

Earlier, the meeting was scheduled for November 10, but the revised schedule was issued to hold the meeting on Friday.

It has been learned that the purpose of the meeting was to elevate Justice Minallah early in the prevailing political situation.

Interestingly, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Azam Swati, who is also a member of the committee, did not raise objections to the meeting.

Out of eight, five members of the committee attended the meeting. Pakistan People's Party's (PPP) Farooq H Naek did not attend the meeting.

Also read: JCP picks Justice Aamer Farooq as IHC top judge

Senior lawyers are wondering about the urgency to convene a meeting for the elevation of Justice Minallah to the apex court.

The committee considered the nominations of Sindh High Court (SHC) Junior Judge Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Lahore High Court (LHC) Junior Judge Justice Shahid Waheed and IHC CJ Minallah for appointment as judges of the...