Islamabad: On Thursday, retired Justice Maqbool Baqar declined an offer to serve as an ad hoc judge on the Supreme Court, becoming the second judge to reject the appointment amidst public scrutiny.
Earlier, retired Justice Mushir Alam had also turned down a similar offer for a three-year term. The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), chaired by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, is set to convene on Friday to discuss the appointments of four retired Supreme Court judges.
While the government argues for additional judges to expedite pending cases, the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has criticized the move as unethical.
In a statement to a private media channel, Justice Baqar cited personal reasons for his decision but defended the legality of appointing ad hoc judges, dismissing criticisms as unfounded.
Supporting Chief Justice Isa’s stance, Baqar emphasized the urgency of addressing the backlog of cases through such appointments. The controversy arises amidst PTI’s objections, claiming the appointments are politically motivated.
PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub expressed skepticism, stating that appointing ‘like-minded’ judges won’t resolve the backlog issue and called for impartiality in judicial appointments.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar denounced the appointments as dishonest and criticized the sudden decision to appoint four ad hoc judges during a recess period.
In response, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar defended the appointments, citing constitutional provisions and clarifying that the Judicial Commission makes these appointments, not solely the Chief Justice.
Justice Baqar and Justice Alam were among the four judges considered for appointment in the upcoming JCP meeting on Friday, alongside Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Sardar Tariq Masood.
