Implementation of the constitutional amendment regarding the transfer of high court judges without their consent has formally begun.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi has convened a meeting on April 28 to consider the transfer of five judges of the Islamabad High Court to other provinces.
Under the proposal, two judges will be transferred to the Lahore High Court, while three others will be posted to high courts in Balochistan, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to sources, the Judicial Commission meeting to deliberate on the transfer of five Islamabad High Court judges will be held at 1:00 PM in Islamabad.
The meeting will be chaired by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi in his capacity as Chairman of the Judicial Commission, with members of the commission and chief justices of all provincial high courts expected to attend.
During the meeting, the names of Islamabad High Court judges, including Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq, and Justice Babar Sattar, will be considered for transfer.
Sources said that two judges are likely to be transferred from the Islamabad High Court to the Lahore High Court, while the remaining three may be posted to the high courts of Balochistan, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Informal consultations in this regard have already been completed, and decisions will be made based on a majority vote within the commission.
Under the 27th Constitutional Amendment, Article 200 of the Constitution was revised to remove the requirement of judges’ consent for their transfer. Following this change, consent is no longer mandatory, and if a judge does not agree to the transfer after the commission’s decision, they may face forced retirement.
Previously, the consent of a high court judge was necessary for such transfers.
The amendment to Article 200 was passed on November 13, 2025, after which extensive consultations continued within the commission. Now, formal implementation has begun with the scheduling of the April 28 meeting in Islamabad.
In the first phase, transfers will involve judges from the Islamabad High Court, while in the next phase, judges from the Lahore High Court are expected to be considered.