ISLAMABAD: Amidst the grandeur of a packed ceremonial hall of the Supreme Court, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb took his permanent seat on the apex court on Monday after Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi administered the oath.

Judges of superior courts, senior bar members, officers of the Federal Judicial Academy and the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) attended the ceremony.

Federal Shariat Court Chief Justice Iqbal Ham­eedur Rehman was seen in the front row, whereas Justice Muha­mmad Karim Khan Agha represented the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) at the oath-taking ceremony.

Supreme Court Regi­strar Muhammad Sohail Laghari conducted the proceedings, while a slew of high court judges were also in attendance.

“This is the first of its kind ceremony in which such a large number of people, be it representatives of different high offices, senior lawyers or court staff, have turned up,” said a senior lawyer who wished not to be named.

Justice Mulakhail sworn in as BHC chief justice

The attendance of all IHC judges, despite apparent division among them, was noticed by almost everyone at the ceremony, he said. This shows, he said, Justice Aurangzeb was among the most respected judges of the superior judiciary. “After all he had been their colleague while serving at the high court,” he remarked.

His observation came in view of the overcrowded hall that was full of chairs to accommodate the guests who came in large numbers. Since all the seats were occupied, many were seen standing inside the hall to witness the ceremony.

BHC chief justice

Separately, Justice Muhammad Kamran Khan Mulakhail was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court (BHC) at a ceremony held at Balochistan Governor House on Monday. Earlier, Justice Mulakhail was serving as acting chief justice.

Balochistan Governor Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhail administered the oath to him at a ceremony, which was attended by Justices Iqbal Ahmed Kasi, Shoukat Ali Rakhshani, Gul Hassan Tareen, Muhammad Aamir Nawaz Rana, Sardar Ahmed Haleemi, Muh­ammad Ayub Khan and Najamuddin Mengal, judges of subordinate courts, police chief, bar representatives, political leaders and tribal elders.

Saleem Shahid in Quetta also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2025