President Declares Justice Sarfraz Dogar as Senior Most Judge of Islamabad High Court

Islamabad: In a significant development regarding the transfer of judges, President of Pakistan has officially declared Justice Sarfraz Dogar as the senior-most judge of the Islamabad High Court. In addition, the President has also confirmed the permanent transfer of Justice Dogar and two other judges.
The Supreme Court had earlier referred the matter of determining the seniority of High Court judges to the President, who has now issued the seniority list for judges of the Islamabad High Court. According to the list, Justice Sarfraz Dogar, following his transfer, will hold the position of the senior-most judge, with Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro ranked 9th and Justice Asif ranked 11th.
The issue of determining the seniority and the temporary or permanent transfers of judges was sent to the President for resolution. On June 28, five judges from the Islamabad High Court filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the decision. However, the official notification regarding the seniority issue had already been issued on June 27, 2025.
In the upcoming Judicial Commission meeting on July 1, 2025, the appointment of permanent Chief Justices for the Sindh, Peshawar, and Islamabad High Courts will be discussed. The Chief Justice for each of these High Courts will be appointed from among the three senior-most judges of each court. The names of Justice Sarfraz Dogar, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, and Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb from Islamabad High Court are likely to be considered for the position of Chief Justice.