Justice Munib Akhtar walks out of Judicial Commission meeting

Supreme Court Justice Munib Akhtar walked out of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) meeting, which was held to review the JCP Rules 2024 concerning the elevation of judges to the superior judiciary.

The News reported that Justice Akhtar asked Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan about the progress of the government’s intended legislation on superior court judges. AGP Awan responded that he should direct his question to Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and stated that the meeting was not the appropriate forum for such questions.

Following these remarks, Justice Akhtar suggested postponing the meeting but faced disagreement from fellow judges, prompting him to walk out alone. The JCP meeting continued without him.

The commission, led by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, discussed various clauses of the rules. The meeting was attended by four provincial law ministers and top court judges, including Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Yahya Afridi, retired Justice Manzoor Malik, and AGP Mansoor Usman Awan.

There has been no official confirmation regarding Justice Munib Akhtar’s departure from the meeting.

Earlier, the commission wrote to the chief justices of the five high courts, requesting nominations for candidates to be elevated as additional judges under the 2024 Rules.