ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani parliamentary committee that deals with the appointment of judges endorsed the elevation of Lahore High Court Justice Ayesha A. Malik to the Supreme Court while maintaining that her appointment would not abolish the principle of seniority that is usually considered in such promotions, reported the local media on Wednesday.
Malik's appointment to the country's apex court was proposed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed in August last year, though there was some controversy over her possible appointment within the legal circles since she is not the most senior judge at the Lahore High Court.
Earlier this month, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan approved her elevation to the Supreme Court in a meeting that was chaired by the chief justice of Pakistan by a majority of five votes against four.
The parliamentary committee upheld the idea of appointing Malik to the apex court under the chairmanship of Senator Farooq Naek on Wednesday.
"According to Farooq Naek, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on January 7 approved the nomination of Justice Ayesha Malik for her appointment as the Supreme Court judge with a vote of five out of nine," Geo News reported. "He further said that the court is not abolishing the procedure to appoint judges based on their seniority, adding that Malik would be the first woman to become an SC judge and she would benefit the country."
Malik's appointment to the Supreme Court can make her the first female judge in the history of Pakistan to become part of the country's top court.
Currently, she ranks fourth in terms of seniority at the Lahore High Court.
She was recently supported by the Women in Law Pakistan initiative that argued that seniority was not a legal requirement for such appointments, adding that "at least 41 times judges have been appointed to the Supreme Court without them being most senior."
Malik has been nominated for the Supreme Court position which will fall vacant after the retirement of Justice Mushir Alam in August.
Parliamentary committee approves Justice Ayesha Malik's elevation to Supreme Court
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Parliamentary committee approves Justice Ayesha Malik's elevation to Supreme Court
- Malik's appointment to the country's apex court was originally proposed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed
- Her elevation can make her the first female judge in the country's history to serve Pakistan's top court
Pakistan to begin first phase of Hajj 2026 trainings from today
- Training programs to be held in phases across Pakistan till February, says religion ministry
- Saudi Arabia allocated Pakistan a total quota of 179,210 pilgrims for Hajj 2026
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry has said that it will begin the first phase of mandatory Hajj 2026 training for pilgrims intending to perform the pilgrimage from today, Thursday.
The one-day Hajj training programs will be held in phases across the country at the tehsil level until February. The ministry directed intending pilgrims to bring their original identity cards and the computerized receipt of their Hajj application to attend the training sessions.
“Pilgrims should attend the one-day training program according to their scheduled date,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) said in a statement.
The ministry said training schedules are being shared through the government’s Pak Hajj 2026 mobile application as well as via SMS. It added that details of the schedule are also available on its website.
According to the ministry, training programs will be held in Abbottabad on Jan. 2; Ghotki, Thatta and Kotli on Jan. 3; and Tando Muhammad Khan and Khairpur on Jan. 4.
Hajj training sessions will be held in Rawalakot, Badin and Naushahro Feroze on Jan. 5, while pilgrims in Fateh Jang, Dadu and Tharparkar will receive the training on Jan. 6.
The ministry said training programs will be conducted in Umerkot and Larkana on Jan. 7, followed by sessions in Mirpurkhas, Shahdadkot and Mansehra on Jan. 8.
Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry has previously said these trainings will be conducted by experienced trainers and scholars using multimedia.
It said the training has been made mandatory to ensure that intending pilgrims are fully aware of Hajj rituals and administrative procedures.
Saudi Arabia has allocated Pakistan a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for Hajj 2026, of which around 118,000 seats have been reserved under the government scheme, while the remainder will be allocated to private tour operators.
Under Pakistan’s Hajj scheme, the estimated cost of the government package ranges from Rs1,150,000 to Rs1,250,000 ($4,049.93 to $4,236), subject to final agreements with service providers.
