ISLAMABAD – President Asif Zardari named Justice Sarfraz Dogar as senior-most judge of the Islamabad High Court.
President also approved permanent transfer of Justice Sarfraz Dogar along with two other judges. The issue of seniority and permanence of the judges’ transfer had been referred to the President by the Supreme Court, which had sought clarity on the status of the transferred judges.
After this notification, a revised seniority list of Islamabad High Court judges has been issued. According to the list, Justice Sarfraz Dogar now stands as the most senior judge, followed by Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro at number nine, and Justice Asif at number eleven.
The gazette notification finalizing the seniority was released on June 27, a day before five judges of the Islamabad High Court filed an appeal in the Supreme Court on June 28, challenging the earlier Supreme Court decision.
The timing of the appeal and the gazette notification raised legal and administrative questions, especially as the matter of seniority was already decided before the appeal was filed.
Judicial Commission is scheduled to meet on July 1, 2025, to consider the appointment of permanent Chief Justices for the Islamabad, Sindh, and Peshawar High Courts. For Islamabad High Court, the candidates under consideration are Justice Sarfraz Dogar, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, the three senior-most judges of the court.
