ISLAMABAD: Justice (retired) Mazhar Alam Miankhel on Friday declined an offer to become an ad hoc judge of the Supreme Court, sources told Geo News, becoming the third judge to decline the offer.
His refusal comes after Mushir Alam and Maqbool Baqar refused to be appointed for three years as ad hoc judges, which the Supreme Court said was needed to clear the backlog of cases.
Meanwhile, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) met in Islamabad to consider the appointment of four ad hoc judges for a three-year term – Sardar Tariq Masood, Alam, Baqar, Miankhel.
“Justice (retd) Miankhel decided not to accept the offer due to personal reasons,” sources familiar with the matter informed Geo News.
It is also pertinent to mention that the former ruling party — Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — a few hours ago asked the JCP to reject the proposal to hire ad hoc judges as it may raise concerns about the independence of the judiciary.
The PTI has raised concerns over the appointment of ad hoc judges, saying the move is partisan, while the government has supported the decision, saying it is within the purview of the law.
While Alam noted that he was busy with philanthropic work after retirement, Baqar opted out for “personal reasons” and said criticism of the appointment of ad hoc judges was baseless.
PTI’s Omar Ayub, in his letter to JCP members, said he had “great concern” over the recent proposal to appoint ad hoc judges.
Ayub noted that he was writing the letter because the matter of the appointment had not been brought before the parliamentary committee and therefore the PTI lawmakers had no platform to express their concerns.
“I would strongly urge the Chairman and members of the JCP to reject the proposed ad hoc appointment of Supreme Court judges as it may give the public the impression of attempts to influence and influence the independence of the judiciary.
