LAHORE - The Federal Law Ministry under the approval of President Asif Ali Zardari Friday notified appointment of 16 Additional Judges to the Lahore High Court, raising the total strength to ever highest of 52 against the total strength 60 fixed mid-last year from 50. The persons notified as judges are Mr Pervez Ali Chawla, Mrs Jamila Jahanoor Aslam, Mr Muhammad Shafqat Khan Abbasi, Mr Mahbood Akhtar Khan, Mr Abdul Sattar Goraya, Mr Habib Ullah Shakir, Mr Pervez Inayat Malik, Mr Nazir Ahmad Ghazi, Syed Ihtesham Qadir Shah, Mr Anwarul Haq Punnu, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Bokhari, Mr Imtiaz Rasheed Siddiqui, Ch Naeem Masood, Mr Arshad Mahmood, Mr Irfan Qadir and Mr Jamshed Rahmat Ullah. They are likely to enter office on Saturday (today) after taking oath to be administered by Chief Justice LHC Sayed Zahid Hussain. The appointment of the said judges to LHC in one go is the second highest after 20 appointed by the PPP government in August 1996. Sources in the law ministry say that over 100 persons were considered for new judges in this court and of them the said ones have been picked up after consultation between the judicial and the political heads. They claim the PML(N) wanted appointment of the LHC judges through a commission as prescribed under the Charter of Democracy and it took time for the appointments. Of the said judges-designate, Mr Pervez Chawla is from judicial service as he has been elevated from the office of Registrar LHC. Mrs Jamila is from Rawalpindi and an expert hand on tax matters. Mr Shafqat Khan Abbasi is the former PPP MPA and presently, Member Pakistan Bar Council. Besides he has also been Chairman Executive Committee of Punjab Bar Council. Mr Habib Ullah Shakir is the former President High Court Bar Multan, and is known for a strong affiliation with PPP. Mr Pervez Inayat Malik is another member of Pakistan Bar Council and politically affiliated with PPP. Professionally he is very sound on services and civil matters. Before elections, he was a front line supporter of the lawyers movement while confronting Pervez Musharraf's March 9,2007 action. Mr Nazir Ahmad Ghazi belongs to Lahore and goes for an authority on Islamic jurisprudence. He has also served as law officer of the Punjab. Syed Ihetasham Qadir Shah is the son of an eminent lawyer Ahsan Shah of Sargodha. Syed Zulfiqar Ali Bokhari is former Vice-President Lahore High Court Bar and former Secretary SCBA in 2007 when he was reckoned among the leaders of the lawyers protest against the March 9,2007 action on Justice Chaudhary. Mr Imtiaz Rasheed Siddiqui is known as one of the best lawyers on corporate and company matters. Ch Naeem Masood has been elevated from the office of Assistant Advocate General. Mr Arshad Mahmood is the son of former Supreme Court Judge, Muhammad Ilyas who also has remained Acting Chief Justice LHC during Benazir's second tenure. Mr Irfan Qadir is former Prosecutor General Punjab and NAB prosecutor. He is the son-in-law of former Chief Justice LHC, Justice Aslam Riaz Hussain. Mr Jamshed Rahman Ullah, has been a legal adviser to the FC College. Lawyers in general have found the fresh appointments as of competent persons who meet the required qualifications for the office despite the political affiliation, etc. It may be recalled here that after induction of the said judges in the LHC, the number of Additional Judges of this court would rise to 28, outnumbering the permanent ones.