ISLAMABAD According to sources who spoke to Geo News on Friday, Justice (retired) Mazhar Alam Miankhel turned down an offer to serve as an ad hoc judge on the Supreme Court, making him the third judge to do so.
His decision comes after the Supreme Court stated that ad hoc judges were required to expedite the processing of a backlog of cases, but Mushir Alam and Maqbool Baqar declined to be appointed for three years.
Concurrently, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) convened in Islamabad to deliberate on the designation of four temporary judges, namely Sardar Tariq Masood, Alam, Baqar, and Miankhel, each with a three-year tenure.
According to people aware with the situation, Justice (retd) Miankhel has chosen not to accept the offer for personal reasons, as News was informed.
It is also important to note that just hours before, the JCP was requested to reject a plan to appoint judges on an as-needed basis, citing concerns about the independence of the judiciary raised by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the former ruling party.
The government has defended the decision, arguing that it is within the bounds of the law, but the PTI has expressed worries about the selection of ad hoc judges, alleging that the action is intended to harm the party.
While Baqar opted out for “personal reasons” and claimed that the criticism of the nomination of ad hoc judges was unfounded, Alam stated that he was occupied with charitable activities after retirement.
Omar Ayub of PTI expressed “great concern” in a letter to JCP members.
