The oath-taking ceremony took place at the Aiwan-e-Sadr and was attended by senior judges and government officials.
Justice Aamer Farooq, the senior most judge of IHC, is the sixth chief justice of Islamabad High Court.
He replaced Justice Athar Minallah.
Moreover, the three judges, including Justice Athar Minallah, Sindh High Court’s (SHC) Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Justice Shahid Waheed have been officially appointed to the Supreme Court after taking the oath.
The oath was administered by the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial.
Procedure of appointment as per the Constitution of Pakistan
According to Article 175(A) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan:
- There shall be a Judicial Commission of Pakistan, hereinafter in this Article referred to as the Commission, for appointment of Judges of the Supreme Court, High Courts, and the Federal Shariat Court, as hereinafter provided.
- For the appointment of Judges of the Supreme Court, the Commission shall consist of the following:
- Chief Justice of Pakistan and most senior judges of the Supreme Court.
- A former Chief Justice or a former Judge Member of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to be nominated by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, in consultation with the 5 [four] member Judges, for a term of two years.
- Federal Minister for Law and Justice.
- Attorney-General for Pakistan; and Member.
- A Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court Member of Pakistan nominated by the Pakistan Bar Council for a term of two years.
Moreover, Article 177 regarding the appointment of Supreme Court judges says:
“The Chief Justice of Pakistan and each of the other Judges of the Supreme Court shall be appointed by the President in accordance with Article 175(A).”