LAHORE (Muhammad Ashfaq) – The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has recently recommended the elevation of three justices to the Supreme Court.
The names of Lahore High Court Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmed Khan and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan and Sindh High Court Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi have been recommended for the apex court.
LHC CJ Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan
He was born on March 15, 1963 in Pindigheb, Attock. After graduating from Gordon College Rawalpindi, he completed his LLB from University Law College in 1989 and started practicing law.
He became the high court and top court advocate in 1993 and 2004, respectively.
During the practice as an advocate for about 21 years, he contested a number of cases.
He also took active part in Bar elections and was elected as Secretary General of High Court Bar Association, Rawalpindi in 2004.
He was elected president of High Court Bar Association, Rawalpindi in 2009.
As for his judicial career, he became an additional judge on May 12, 2011.
He took the oath as the topmost justice of LHC on March 8 last.
LHC’s Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan
Born in 1965 in Lahore, Justice Hassan received his early education in Chiniot and thereafter migrated to Uganda with his family and completed his secondary education there.
Later, he completed his post-graduation degree form GC University and then completed his LLB from Punjab Law College.
He became advocate of LHC and top court in 1996 and 2009, respectively.
Apart from the legal profession, Justice Hassan has the distinction of being an academic as the author of two books on law.
He remained the Secretary of Lahore Bar Association from 2000 to 2001 while also being elected as executive member of the Punjab Bar Council.
He became the additional judge of Lahore High Court in 2013 and delivered significant verdicts.
SHC CJ Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi
Sindh High Court Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi was born in 1963 in Karachi.
The honourable justice started his practice of law in 1988 and shortly later, he became high court and apex court’s advocate in 1992 and 2006.
His particular focus has been tax law on which he has written a number of legal journals.
He became an additional judge of the Sindh High Court in 2009. He remained Monitoring Judge of various district and sessions courts in Sindh, Customs Appellate Tribunal, Inland Revenue Tribunal and Special Court (Customs, Taxation and Anti-Smuggling).
He has been authorised officer in respect of the entire judiciary in the province of Sindh, as well Incharge of the Administration and Judicial Branches of the High Court.
Justice Abbasi took the oath as chief justice of Sindh High Court on Dec 19, 2023.