Govt-Presidency deadlock over judges’ appointment ‘close to resolution’

• Legal teams hold ‘positive’ talks, hope to resolve issue amicably • IHC seeks reports over delay in notifying judges • Asks govt to explain constitutional implications of keeping PM’s advice pending ISLAMABAD: As the Islamabad High Court on Monday expressed concern over the delay in notifying the appointment and confirmation of high court judges and sought reports, the deadlock over the issue is likely to end in the next couple of days following a positive meeting between the legal teams of the Presidency and the federal government. Sources privy to the development told Dawn that the “matter is on its way to resolution”. They said another meeting between the two legal teams was likely to be held in the next couple of days and expressed the hope that the issue would be resolved amicably. The sources, however, expressed surprise over the proceedings before the IHC, saying that the bench had earlier questioned the maintainability of a petition seeking directives for the federal government to issue notifications regarding the appointment and confirmation of judges, but subsequently appeared to have adopted a different approach. Justice Arbab Muham­mad Tahir of the IHC had reserved his order on the maintainability of the petition on August 6. According to the sources, the petition was fixed for hearing on Monday without the issuance of a proper cause list, while the judge adjourned the matter for the day after passing an order. The sources said the matter essentially involved the constitutional roles and authority of the President and the government and should be settled through mutual understanding. They cautioned that any unilateral action, even if taken pursuant to a court order, could be viewed as being in bad taste. The IHC order The IHC issued a ruling on a public interest petition challenging President Asif Ali Zardari’s delay in approving judicial appointments, directing the government to explain the constitutional consequences of keeping the prime minister’s a