Justice (retired) Mazhar Alam Miankhel has declined an offer to become an ad hoc judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, citing personal reasons, according to sources. He is the third judge to turn down this offer, following Mushir Alam and Maqbool Baqar, who also refused appointments meant to address a backlog of cases in the Supreme Court.
The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) met in Islamabad to discuss the appointments of four ad hoc judges for a three-year term, including Sardar Tariq Masood, Alam, Baqar, and Miankhel. However, Miankhel decided not to accept the offer due to personal reasons, sources told Geo News.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has voiced opposition to these appointments, suggesting that they might compromise judicial independence. PTI’s Omar Ayub wrote to JCP members expressing his concerns and urging the rejection of the ad hoc judge appointments. He noted that the parliament’s committee had not been consulted, leaving PTI lawmakers without a platform to express their concerns.
Justice Alam declined the offer due to his engagement in philanthropic work post-retirement, while Baqar cited personal reasons and dismissed criticisms of the ad hoc appointments as baseless. The government supports the appointments, arguing that they are necessary and lawful to manage the case backlog.
