Justices Sardar Tariq Masood and Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel on Monday took oath as ad hoc judges of the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan.
The oath was administered by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Qazi Faez Isa, where Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, law officers, lawyers, and court staff attended the oathtaking ceremony.
Both judges have previously served on the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Their appointment is made under Article 182 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Despite severe criticism, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) last week approved the nomination of two retired Supreme Court judges for appointment as ad hoc judges of the apex court for one year.
A JCP meeting was held to consider the nominations of both retired judges, with Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa presiding.
By a majority vote of 8 to 1, the JCP approved the nomination of Justice (retired) Sardar Tariq Masood as an ad hoc judge of the apex court. The nomination of Justice (retired) Mazhar Alam Miankhel was approved by a majority of 6 to 3.
Besides these two former judges, the names of Justice (retd) Mushir Alam and Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar were also being considered for the ad-hoc role before they declined the offer.
Justice Alam retired from the Supreme Court on Aug 21, 2021; Justice Baqar, who served as the Sindh chief minister during the last caretaker set-up, retired on April 4, 2022; Justice Miankhel retired on July 13, 2022; and Justice Masood on March 10, 2024.
