Islamabad High Court Reserves Verdict on Petition Challenging President Zardari’s Delay in Judicial Appointment Approvals.

On Thursday, the Islamabad High Court reserved its decision on a petition that questions President Asif Ali Zardari’s delay in approving a summary needed to appoint 19 additional judges and confirm five judges across the Islamabad, Lahore, Sindh, Balochistan, and Peshawar high courts. Advocate Luqman Zafar Chaudhary filed the writ after the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, recommended the appointments during its July 20–21 meetings. The summary was sent by the prime minister to the president but reportedly remained unapproved after 15 days. The delay has already caused one additional judge of the Sindh High Court to lose his term and puts four additional judges of the Peshawar High Court at risk of expiration. The petitioner’s counsel indicated that notifications may be released within 48 hours, while Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir questioned the viability of a constitutional petition against the president and asked for precedent. The court declined to issue notices at this stage and will decide whether the petition can be maintained.