Ten new Lahore High Court judges sworn in after President approves appointments, ending weeks‑long deadlock.

Ten new Lahore High Court judges took oath Tuesday, after President Asif Ali Zardari approved the appointments, ending a weeks‑long stalemate. Chief Justice Aalia Neelum administered the oath in a ceremony at the Lahore High Court. The oath was given to Ghulam Sarwar Nihung, Muhammad Ajmal Khan Zahid, Aamir Ajam Malik, Shireen Imran, Asad Ali Bajwa, Muhammad Amjad Pervez, Khalid Ibn‑i‑Aziz, Munawar Iqbal Duggal, Syed Farhad Ali Shah and Muhammad Usman Ghani Rashid Cheema. Justice Tariq Mahmood Bajwa was also sworn in as a permanent judge after completing his probation period. All new appointments will last one year from the date of oath. After the swearing‑in, ten vacancies remain in the Lahore High Court out of the constitutionally approved strength of sixty judges. The number will rise to eleven next week when Justice Shahid Karim retires. Earlier that day President Zardari approved appointments of nineteen additional judges across five high courts and confirmed five as permanent judges. The recommendations had been made by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan on July 20 and 21 and had been pending since then. The approvals followed a positive meeting between the legal teams of the Presidency and the federal government. Sources familiar with the discussion said the issue was "on its way to resolution." Another meeting is expected in the coming days. The oath ceremony had originally been scheduled for July 27 but was postponed because President Zardari did not give assent to the summary or return it for reconsideration. The government said there was no legal reason to keep the ceremony on hold. The president’s legal team had objected that nearly all nominees proposed by the ruling party were rejected and that some candidates had criminal records. The delay led the federal government to consider invoking Article 48(1) of the Constitution, which requires the president to act on the summary within a fortnight. Government legal officials later said notifications could not be issued while the matter was sub judice. The government plans to pursue an "out‑of‑court" settlement with the Presidency’s legal team.