ISLAMABAD - The Judicial Commission of Pakistan by a majority 5 to 4 recommended the nomination of Sindh High Court Chief Justice Ahmed Ali Shaikh as ad hoc judge of the Supreme Court, his appointment will be made subject to his consent. The JCP recommended this in its meeting held on Tuesday under the chair of Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed to consider the nomination of Justice Ahmed Ali as ad hoc judge of the apex court.

Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Law Minister Dr Farogh Naseem and Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Javed Khan endorsed the nomination, while Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Maqbool Baqar, retired judge Dost Muhammad Khan and Pakistan Bar Council member in JCP Akhtar Hussain opposed it.

The SHC Chief Justice had written a letter to the JCP on August 5 conveying his unwillingness to join as ad hoc judge, while agreeing to appointment as permanent judge of the Supreme Court. The Attorney General in a note, released to media, stated that appointment under Article 182 is only a temporary arrangement whereby a person falling in one of the two clauses of Article 182 may be ‘requested’ or ‘required’, as the case may be, to attend sittings of the Supreme Court as an ad hoc judge for such period as may be necessary.