ISLAMABAD: Senior judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), who had earlier challenged the transfer of judges from other provinces to the capital, and a subsequent change in their seniority, stayed away from a dinner hosted in honour of Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar, on Thursday.

The event, hosted by the Islamabad High Court Bar Association, was held to celebrate the new CJ’s appointment.

Justices Arbab Mohammad Tahir, Khadim Hussain Soomro, Mohammad Azam Khan and Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas were present on the occasion.

However, senior judges Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan and Saman Rafat Imtiaz were not in attendance.

Justices Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri and Babar Sattar, who are among the five-judge group that lodged the challenge before the Supreme Court, are already on leave. Justice Mohammad Asif is also availing summer vacations.

Speaking on the occasion, IHC CJ Dogar highlighted the steps taken for swift disposal of cases, saying that specialised benches had been constituted for speedy disposal of cases related to those who are already behind bars.

Justice Dogar said that cases related to overseas Pakistanis will also be given priority, while special attention was being paid to reducing the IHC and district judiciary’s backlog.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2025