President Zardari approves high court judicial appointments

President Asif Ali Zardari has approved the appointment of 19 additional judges to various high courts across Pakistan, including the Lahore, Sindh, Peshawar, Islamabad, and Balochistan High Courts. The decision also includes the confirmation of several additional judges as permanent judges in the Lahore and Sindh High Courts.

The approvals follow a period of legal scrutiny after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued notices to the president and the prime minister regarding delays in the constitutional process for judicial appointments. The IHC had questioned why summaries forwarded by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) had remained pending for over 18 days.

In addition to judicial appointments, President Zardari approved measures to align the salaries, allowances, and pensions of Supreme Court judges with those of judges of the Federal Constitutional Court. He also approved amendments to the High Court Leave, Pension and Privileges Order, 1997, and appointed Haroon Akhtar as the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Industries and Production.