PESHAWAR (special crosspondent) – Four additional judges of the Peshawar High Court have been restricted from performing judicial duties, following a protracted delay in receiving presidential approval for their permanent appointments. The administrative stall has effectively sidelined the jurists, as their previous extended tenure expired on August 4.

Status of Judicial Appointments

The judges affected by this administrative backlog include Justice Farah Jamshed, Justice Inayatullah Khan, Justice Sabitullah Khan, and Justice Aurangzeb. These judicial officers originally took their oaths as additional judges in February 2025, subsequently receiving a six-month extension to their initial terms. While the Judicial Commission of Pakistan formally recommended their elevation to permanent status on July 20, the process remains incomplete pending the final issuance of an official notification following presidential assent.

Operational Impact on the High Court

Legal sources confirm that the affected judges have not been assigned any new case files since August 3, as they are legally barred from exercising judicial functions in the absence of a formal notification. This development underscores the challenges regarding judicial resources and administrative efficiency within the high court system. The situation has prompted urgent calls for resolution, with Aminur Rehman Yousafzai, President of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association, formally urging the President to expedite the pending recommendations. Addressing these procedural delays is considered vital to mitigating the current shortage of judges at the high court and ensuring the seamless administration of justice, an issue of similar importance to recent national institutional funding and oversight discussions.