Eight Supreme Court Judges To Retire In Next Two Years

via https://youtu.be/UXW9N5MsTks
The Supreme Court presently comprises the chief justice and 16 other judges but eight of them will retire in the next two years. Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed will retire on February 1, 2022, Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed on March 25, Justice Maqbool Baqar on April 4, Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel on July 13 and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah on August 13. The elevation of a judge to the apex court is always a challenge for the chief justice. The Parliamentary Committee on Judges Appointment has already expressed its concerns over not giving proper representation to smaller provinces in the Supreme Court. However, no lawyer has been directly elevated to the apex court so far. Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth has challenged the elevation of three judges to the apex court over the issue of seniority. Similarly, the superior bars, wherein the Professional Lawyers Group is in majority, also moved the apex court against the appointment of the three SC judges. Lawyers are divided over the elevation of high court on the basis of seniority only. A senior lawyer believes that as a matter of principle, only the best of high court judges should be considered for appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court and the nomination for that should be based on competence, integrity, performance and juristic ability and not necessarily seniority.