Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi has scheduled a meeting for the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on Tuesday, November 5, to talk about selecting judges for important cases in the Supreme Court, according to a notification from the JCP.
The JCP is in charge of nominating judges for the Supreme Court and high courts, based on a new rule from the 26th Constitutional Amendment. This amendment changed Article 175A of the Constitution, adding four members from Parliament to the JCP — two from the ruling party and two from the opposition, one from the National Assembly and one from the Senate.
Previously, the committee was made up of five Supreme Court judges (including the CJP), the Attorney General for Pakistan, the federal law minister, a former chief justice, and a senior lawyer chosen by the Pakistan Bar Council.
The new rules also allow the JCP to set standards for judging a judge’s qualifications. If a high court judge is found to be ineffective, they will be given time to improve. If they don’t get better, the JCP will report to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), which can remove judges for misconduct.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party announced that it will be part of the JCP after a special meeting, although they have criticized the changes to the rules. PTI member Asad Qaiser criticized the amendment as “unethical and illegal” in the National Assembly.
Despite the criticism, the party nominated Omar Ayub Khan and Shibli Faraz as their members for the JCP, which will suggest judges for appointments.
The JCP’s first meeting after the Constitutional Amendment will start at 2 PM on Tuesday. The agenda includes setting up a secretariat, choosing judges for the Supreme Court, and discussing any other topics the chair allows. The meeting has invited various important members, including the Chief Justice, other judges, senators, and legal officials.
