The Islamabad High Court (IHC) is the senior court of the Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, with appellate jurisdiction over the following district courts:
Islamabad District Court (East) Islamabad District Court (West) Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar is the current Chief Justice, having taken oath on 8 July 2025.
History The Court was originally established on 14 August 2007 by Presidential Order of Pervez Musharraf, the military ruler at the time. The Court ceased to exist on 31 July 2009 by a decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan following Constitution Petition No. 09 and 08 of 2009.
The Court was re-established by the Islamabad High Court Act, 2010 following the 18th Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan. President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath to the first Chief Justice, Iqbal Hameed ur Rahman on 3 January 2011 at the Governor's House, Karachi.
In a 116-page judgment released on 24 February 2026, the IHC detailed the removal of Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri in his appointment to the bench. An IHC division bench made up of Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan ruled ex-Jahangiri's elevation to the high court was a "legal nullity" since his foundational law degree was void ab initio.
Current composition The Islamabad High Court is headed by a Chief Justice. After the passing of Islamabad High Court (Amendment) Act 2024, the Islamabad High Court will consist of 12 judges, in addition to the Chief Justice. The mandatory retirement age of the Chief Justice and Justices is 62 years. The Additional Judges are initially appointed for one year. After that, their services could either be extended or they could be confirmed or they were retired. The current composition of the High Court is as follows:
No. Name Appointed Retirement Date Appointed From Comments1Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar8 June 20152 July 2030PunjabChief Justice since 14 February 2025. Transferred from LHC on 1 February 2025.2Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan17 December 202118 July 2030IslamabadSenior Puisne Judge since 29 April 20263Arbab Muhammad Tahir17 December 20216 September 2029Balochistan4Khadim Hussain Soomro14 April 202311 September 2037SindhTransferred from SHC on 1 February 20255Muhammad Azam Khan20 January 202522 April 2030Khyber Pakhtunkhwa6Muhammad Asif Reki20 January 20259 June 2031BalochistanTransferred from BHC on 1 February 20257Inaam Ameen Minhas20 January 202510 January 20328Ayyaz Shaukat11 August 2026Additional Judge, subject to confirmation9Umair Majeed Malik11 August 2026Additional Judge, subject to confirmation10Shahrukh Arjumand11 August 202620 December 2040Additional Judge, subject to confirmation11Vacant12Vacant13Vacant
List of former chief justices No.NameDate of appointment1Sardar Muhammad Aslam9 February 2008-March 20092M. Bilal Khan9 March 2009-July 20093Iqbal Hameed Ur Rahman3 January 2011-February 20134Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi 24 February 2013-November 20185Athar Minallah28 November 2018-November 20226Aamer Farooq11 November 2022-February 2025
Registrar Sardar Tahir Sabir, Judge is appointed as Registrar Islamabad High Court on 30 September 2022.
See also Islamabad District Court Judiciary of Pakistan Islamabad Bar Council
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