PESHAWAR: Only three candidates cleared the written examination for 105 civil judge-cum-judicial magistrate and Alaqa Qazi posts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, results announced on Wednesday showed.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Service Commission said 1,024 candidates sat the written test. The Peshawar High Court had advertised the BPS-18 vacancies in April 2026, attracting 3,097 applications, with all eligible applicants provisionally allowed to appear.
The three qualifiers are Saba Rasool from South Waziristan, Abdullah Noor from Bajaur and Sayed Zahid Hussain from Mardan. They will proceed to the next stage of the process and must submit their duly signed documents within 15 days. Candidates who believe there was an error in the counting of their marks may apply for re-totaling under the commission’s procedure.
Where candidates struggled most
The English General and Essay paper proved the toughest barrier, with only 149 of the 1,024 candidates passing it. The General Knowledge paper also took a heavy toll, as 687 of 1,005 candidates failed it.
Results were far better in the regional language papers. In Pashto General and Essay, 335 of 340 candidates passed, while 369 of 654 cleared the Urdu General and Essay paper.
In the law subjects, 587 of 996 candidates passed Civil Law-I and 537 cleared Civil Law-II. Criminal Law recorded a higher success rate, with 803 of 996 candidates passing. The Islamic Jurisprudence paper was cleared by 697 of 993 candidates, while 775 of 995 passed the Qanun-e-Shahadat 1984 and Pleadings paper.
Bar Council demands review
The extremely low overall success rate drew a sharp reaction from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council. The council described the outcome as alarming and questioned the examination and evaluation process.
It said the result was especially worrying because the province already faces a shortage of judges and a large backlog of pending cases. The council urged the Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court to take notice and order a review of the examination process, marking standards and final results.
The Bar Council also demanded greater transparency in judicial recruitment and suggested that future civil judge appointments be conducted through the Peshawar High Court itself, on the pattern of the existing recruitment for additional district and sessions judges. It warned that it could pursue legal options if its concerns were not addressed.
How many candidates passed the KP civil judge exam?
Only three of the 1,024 candidates who appeared passed the written examination for 105 posts.
Who were the three successful candidates?
Saba Rasool from South Waziristan, Abdullah Noor from Bajaur and Sayed Zahid Hussain from Mardan qualified for the next stage.
What is the KP Bar Council demanding?
The council wants the Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court to review the exam process and marking, greater transparency in recruitment, and future civil judge appointments through the high court rather than the public service commission.
