PPP aims for greater influence over judicial appointments

ISLAMABAD: Fresh nominations for vacancies in the high courts have brought renewed attention to the Pakistan Peoples Party’s place in the post-amendment judicial selection process, after PPP Senator Farooq H Naek put forward 33 candidates for consideration by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP).

The move comes after Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi called JCP meetings to examine the appointment of additional judges in the high courts. Naek, who is a member of the commission and a senior legal figure in the PPP, has proposed candidates for the Sindh, Lahore, Balochistan and Islamabad high courts.

Of the total nominations, 16 are for the Sindh High Court (SHC), 10 for the Lahore High Court (LHC), five for the Balochistan High Court (BHC) and two for the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The JCP is due to meet on July 20 for appointments to the IHC, while the meeting on LHC appointments is scheduled for July 21.

Appointments debate revived

The latest development has again stirred discussion around the PPP’s expanding influence in judicial appointments after the 26th Constitutional Amendment. Questions are being raised over whether the party will again secure a notable share in upcoming selections, as it did in recent appointments to the superior judiciary following the constitutional changes.

The report also recalled an earlier period during the tenure of former chief justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, when the PPP managed to get several lawyers, seen as close to the party, appointed to the superior judiciary. Many of those appointments were later set aside in the Supreme Court’s July 31, 2009 judgment.

After the judiciary was restored in March 2009, the PPP spent years facing judicial activism. The passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment has since placed the party back in a significant position in the judicial appointments process.

PPP’s recent role in Sindh and beyond

The SHC is currently the only high court that has constitutional benches. In November 2024, the PPP backed the nomination of Justice KK Agha to lead those benches through the JCP. Eight judges senior to him were passed over, although he was ninth in the SHC seniority list.

The PPP was also instrumental in the nomination of other members of the SHC constitutional benches. Last year, the party also succeeded in getting judges appointed in several high courts, especially in the SHC, Peshawar High Court and LHC.

Following the 27th Constitutional Amendment, Justice KK Agha was elevated to the newly created Federal Constitutional Court.

Names proposed by Naek

For the SHC, Naek has proposed Dr Ambreen, district and sessions judge Karachi West; Ghulam Shah, district and sessions judge Hyderabad; Shazia Hanjrah, advocate Supreme Court; Mohsin Shahwani; Barrister Zulfiqar Jalbani, ASC; Barrister Jamshed Malik, ASC; Barrister Sandeep Malani; Nasrullah Korai, ASC; Qazi Muhammad Bashir, ASC; Dr Shahnawaz Memon, ASC; Samiullah Soomro, ASC; Barrister Baloch Ahmed Junejo, ASC; Ali Raza Khan, ASC; Mukesh Kumar G Karara; Ali Gul Abbasi; and Muhammad Rashid Khan Mahar, ASC.

For the LHC, the proposed names are Asad Mahmood Abbasi, Danyal Ijaz, Nawazish Pirzada, Saqib Jillani, Ashfaq Ahmed Kharal, Mian Wasim Shahabi, Muhammad Sajid Khan Tanoli, Mughees Aslam Malik, Chaudhry Sarfaraz Ali Deyal and Muhammad Shahzad Khan.

For the BHC, Naek has recommended Rehmatullah, Syed Yahoor Agha, Bairam Khan, Naseer Ahmed Bangulzai and Muhammad Saleem Lashari. For the IHC, he has nominated Qamar Hussain Sabzwari and Syed Intikhab Shah.