Category: Politics

With Justice Yahya Afridi’s name being finalized as the next chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), opposition leader and netizens are speculating whether Justice Afridi will be accepting the post or not.

President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday appointed Justice Yahya Afridi as the next CJP, who will take over the reins from incumbent CJP Qazi Faez Isa later this week. Justice Afridi has been appointed for a fixed three-year term starting on October 26, said a statement from Aiwan-e-Sadr.

Soon after Justice Afridi’s nomination by a special parliamentary committee, formed under the 26th Amendment, PTI leader Hamid Khan, in conversation with a private media outlet on Tuesday night, expressed hope that Justice Afridi “would decline the position”.

The statement left the internet divided, with people speculating whether Justice Afridi will be accepting the position of the country’s 30th CJP.

Some social media users went on to suggest that Justice Afridi should not accept the position owing to the changes in process of appointment of the country’s top judge under the 26th Amendment.

“Justice Yahya Afridi, show some grace and reject this offer. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah should be made the Chief Justice of Pakistan, as this Constitutional Amendment was illegitimate,” wrote one user, calling out the ruling coalition.

Showing concern over the appointment of the third senior-most judge instead of senior-most Justice Mansoor Ali Shah after CJP Qazi Faez Isa, another user wrote, “This is Pakistan’s most senior judge, Mansoor Ali Shah, but his seniority is being ignored, and the third-ranked judge, Yahya Afridi, is going to be made Chief Justice of Pakistan.”

It may be noted that neither Justice Afridi himself, any Supreme Court (SC) judges nor other relevant authorities have so far hinted at the possibility of Justice Afridi refusing to take charge as the country’s top judge. Instead, media reports on Wednesday afternoon claimed that the incumbent chief judge among other members of the judicial community had already congratulated Justice Afridi.

On late Sunday night, the Parliament passed the 26th Amendment, ruling out the scenario of the senior-most SC judge’s appointment as the CJP. Under the changes, the appointment of the CJP shall now be made from among the three senior-most judges of the apex court on the recommendation of a special parliamentary committee.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Yahya Afridi were in the race for the slot of the country’s top judge till a special parliamentary committee nominated Justice Yahya Afridi.

A special parliamentary committee has been established to elect the next Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mansoor Ali Shah after legal changes were made through the 26th constitutional amendment. The secretariat of the national assembly has also confirmed the committee’s formation through notification.

The elected Chief Justice of Pakistan, Qazi Faez Isa, will provide three nominations of the seniormost judges by the end of Tuesday to appoint a new CJP.

The report mentions three senior judges under consideration: Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, and Justice Yahya Afridi. Their profiles are as follows:

Mansoor Ali Shah

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah was born in Peshawar on November 28, 1962. He was educated in Lahore at Aitchison College. After completing his law degree from Punjab University, he became a law college instructor. This career move was fruitful as I rose the ranks to eventually become an additional judge of the Lahore High Court in the year 20 as Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court between 2016 and 2018. 

He became a Supreme Court judge on February 7, 2018, after a brief period during which he could rise in charge levels. This same period was also fruitful for Justice Shah as he could participate in and manage many important cases, including the majority decision regarding reserved seats. He also became known for his 27 dispersed pages written regarding changes in NAB laws. His time has also been marked by his attempts to help construct arbitration forums and help foster judicial change in Pakistan.

Justice Yahya Afridi

Justice Yahya Afridi was born in Dera Ghazi Khan on January 23, 1965. Most of his early education was obtained at Aitchison College, Lahore. After that, he graduated from Government College, Lahore. Legal studies were continued with an LLM from Jesus College, Cambridge University. Legal practice commenced in 1990, and entry into the Supreme Court bar was achieved in 2004. 

He has been involved in larger benches deciding significant issues, including the case of reserved seats and the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto presidential reference. He has also contributed dissenting notes in various significant judgments.

Read also: Here’s how Justice Mansoor Ali Shah reacted to Yahya Afridi’s appointment as CJP

Justice Munib Akhtar

Justice Munib Akhtar was born on 14 December 1963. He received most of his early education at Govt College in Lahore. He then relocated to the United States and continued his studies at Princeton University. Justice Munib Akhtar entered the judiciary when he was appointed as an additional judge of the Sindh High Court in 2009. In 2011, he also got the substantive post.

Further, in 2018, he was promoted to Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The judge’s other critical duties included authoring articles that detailed Article 63-A of the Constitution of Pakistan.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Rana Ansar’s son has been killed in an accident.

As per Aaj News, 23-year-old Shahzaib Naqvi’s car met a horrible accident at Clifton Road Karachi.

His body was shifted to the morgue of Sohrab Goth.

Various leaders of the party have reached the morgue, whereas the MQM MNA has boarded a flight from Islamabad, where she was present to represent her party in the special parliamentary committee made for the selection of the Chief Justice of Pakistan after the 26th amendment.

Previously, Rana, in an interview, shared an unfortunate experience of losing her husband, senior journalist Ansar Naqvi, in a plane crash back in Ramzan of 2020.

Former Advisor to ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan on Interior and Accountability, Shehzad Akbar, has alleged that there was a “contract to kill Murad Saeed.” He claims that Imran Khan intervened and ordered Murad Saeed to stay hidden at all costs.

In a small clip going viral on X, formerly Twitter, Shehzad Akbar states, “There is a reason why the ISI and the establishment are out to take Murad’s life: He is loyal to the core with Imran Khan and truly represents him. I’ve personally seen him and can attest to the fact that nobody’s more loyal to Imran Khan than him.”

“I’m a witness to the fact that Imran Khan was completely aware how a trap was set against Murad Saeed to force him against Khan, but because it wasn’t possible, he had to be taken out of the way,” alleged the former Advisor.

“I also know that at some point, a contract was issued to kill Murad Saeed,” claimed Shehzad.

He also claimed that Murad Saeed was going to suffer “exactly the same” as journalist Arshad Sharif did in 2022.

Arshad Sharif fled the country in August 2022 to avoid arrest after he was slapped with multiple cases, including sedition charges, over an interview with Shahbaz Gill – a close aide of former Prime Minister Imran Khan – during which Gill passed comments that were perceived as provocation to mutiny.

He was killed by local police in Kenya two months later, with controversies surrounding his cause of death.

That is why, according to Shehzad Akbar, Imran Khan has strictly ordered Murad Saeed to stay hidden.

Last year, Akbar revealed that he was the victim of an acid attack outside his home in the UK, for which he later accused the Pakistani state. The former Advisor also initiated legal action against the Pakistan government in May 2024.

After Imran Khan was ousted through a no-confidence motion in 2022, Akbar left Pakistan for the UK.