PESHAWAR, Aug 30: Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan will administer oath to four recently confirmed judges of the court on Sept 5, which would increase the number of permanent judges to seven.

The President of Pakistan has confirmed the services of four additional judges -- Justice Attaullah Khan, Justice Miftauddin Khan, Justice Mian Fasihul Mulk and Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel -- on Aug 24 on the recommendation of the Judicial Commission and Parliamentary Committee for appointment of judges.

These four judges were in the batch of seven additional judges, who were initially appointed in Sept 2009 for a period of one year. Last year one of the seven additional judges, Justice Abdul Aziz Kundi, was confirmed whereas the services of these four judges were extended for another period of one year on the recommendation of the Judicial Commission for the appointment of judges.

The commission did not recommend extension to rest of the two judges -- Justice Safdar Khan Sikandri and Justice Pir Liaqat Ali.

Presently, out of the 15 judges of the high court seven are confirmed whereas remaining eight have been functioning on additional basis.

Apart from these four the remaining three permanent judges include Chief Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Shahjehan Khan and Justice Dost Mohammad Khan.

These four judges enjoy respect among the legal circles. Two of them, Justice Attaullah Khan and Justice Miftauddin Khan, were from the judicial cadre and were serving as district and sessions judges, whereas the remaining two were from the bar.

Before his elevation, Justice Attaullah Khan, hailing from Mingora (Swat), was serving as Judge, Banking Court No I at Peshawar. He had served on various key posts in the judiciary including PHC registrar. His father, Qazi Sher Zada Khan, was chief judge of the Swat state before 1969.

Justice Attaullah was a gold medalist in the central superior services examination. However, after serving as civil servant he later on switched over to the judicial service. When the accountability courts were set up in 1999, he was appointed as presiding officer of one of the courts in Peshawar. He had also served as the provincial law secretary.

Similarly, Justice Miftauddin Khan, also hailing from Swat, had remained a judge of the accountability court. He was known as a judge, who delivered judgments without any fear or favour.

Justice Mian Fasihul Mulk was also a senior member of the bar. He belongs to Charsadda district and had also served as deputy prosecutor general of National Accountability Bureau.

Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel, hailing from Dera Ismail Khan, had remained a member of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council.

Among the eight additional judges two of them, Justice Sajjad Hussain Shah and Justice Yahya Afridi, were appointed in March 2010 for a period of one year and subsequently their services were further extended for a year in early 2011. Rests of the six additional judges have been appointed for a year in July last.

Apart from the principle seat at Peshawar, the judges have to perform their functions at the circuit benches based at Abbottabad, Dera Ismail Khan and Mingora.

A circuit bench has also been sanctioned for the southern Bannu district and it is expected that with recent appointment of judges that bench would also become functional.