Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Thursday filed a petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the recent transfer of high court judges to the Islamabad High Court (IHC), arguing that it compromises judicial independence.
The petition, filed under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, seeks to declare the February 1 notification by the Ministry of Law, which transferred Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar from Lahore High Court (LHC), Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro from Sindh High Court (SHC), and Justice Muhammad Asif from Balochistan High Court (BHC) to IHC, as unconstitutional and void.
Khan contended that these transfers were punitive measures against judges who had resisted external pressures, referencing letters written by IHC judges to the former Chief Justice of Pakistan regarding alleged undue interference. He alleged that the transfers were intended to pack the judiciary with judges favourable to the executive, eroding public trust in the courts.
The petition also challenges the appointment of a freshly transferred judge as acting Chief Justice of IHC without an oath and the reconstitution of the court’s administrative committee, removing existing members and replacing them with newly transferred judges.
Khan requested the court to ensure that judicial transfers remain transparent, consultative, and justified in the public interest, in line with the principles set in the Al-Jehad Trust Case. The case is expected to spark further debate on judicial independence in Pakistan.