President accepts resignation of Lahore High Court judge

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday approved the resignation of Justice Muhammad Raheel Kamran Sheikh, a judge of the Lahore High Court, the Presidency announced in a news release.

The statement said the resignation had been accepted under the relevant constitutional provisions. It did not state when Justice Sheikh tendered his resignation, nor did it give any reason for his departure from the bench.

The Lahore High Court is the highest court in Punjab and has its principal seat in Lahore, with additional benches in Rawalpindi, Multan and Bahawalpur. It hears civil, criminal and constitutional petitions from across the province, making any change in its composition a matter of public record.

Under Article 206 of the Constitution of Pakistan, a judge of the Supreme Court or a high court may resign by writing under his hand addressed to the president. A resignation takes effect once it is accepted by the president, who performs this function on the advice of the federal government.

Justice Sheikh's resignation therefore closes one judicial tenure in the Lahore High Court. The Presidency's announcement did not say whether the Judicial Commission of Pakistan has been asked to initiate the process of filling the vacancy, nor did it indicate when a successor might be nominated.

Once a high court judge resigns, the Judicial Commission considers nominations for the vacancy and the president appoints a new judge on its recommendation. It was not immediately clear whether the commission had been notified of the vacancy left by Justice Sheikh.

No additional biographical details about Justice Sheikh, including the year of his elevation to the high court or the cases he was hearing, were included in the Presidency's statement. The Lahore High Court registrar did not immediately issue a separate statement.

Both the Associated Press of Pakistan and Daily Times reported the development, citing the same Presidency news release.