The Supreme Court of Pakistan has initiated hearings on petitions challenging the recent transfer of three judges to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and the subsequent changes in the court’s seniority list. A five-member bench, led by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, has issued notices to the acting IHC Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar and the two other transferred judges, Justices Khadim Hussain Soomro and Muhammad Asif.
The controversy began when President Asif Ali Zardari approved the transfer of these judges from the Lahore, Sindh, and Balochistan High Courts to the IHC on February 1, 2025. Following the transfers, Justice Dogar was appointed as the acting Chief Justice of the IHC after Justice Aamer Farooq’s elevation to the Supreme Court. This appointment was contested by five IHC judges—Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Babar Sattar, Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, and Saman Rafat Imtiaz—who argued that the transferred judges should not be considered permanent members of the IHC until they take a fresh oath under Article 194 of the Constitution.
The petitioners also challenged the revised seniority list, asserting that it improperly included the transferred judges and led to unjust recommendations for elevation to the Supreme Court. They requested the court to set aside the February 12 notification appointing Justice Dogar as the acting Chief Justice.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court declined to restrain the transferred judges from performing their duties but scheduled the next session for April 17. Notices were also issued to the registrars of the IHC and the other three high courts involved in the transfers.