ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court appointment process is heating up as a 12-member Special Parliamentary Committee prepares to meet at 4 PM today. This committee was established by the National Assembly secretariat following recent constitutional amendments.
The committee will hold an in-camera session to select the next Chief Justice of Pakistan for a three-year term. This comes after the passing of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, effective since Monday night.
According to Article 175A of the Constitution, the parliament kicked off this process immediately after the new legislation was approved by both houses. The National Assembly’s notification stated that the Special Parliamentary Committee was formed based on nominations from parliamentary leaders, reflecting their representation in Parliament.
The committee includes notable senators: Azam Nazeer Tarar from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), Farooq H Naek from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Syed Ali Zafar from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and Kamran Murtaza from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).
Members from the National Assembly include Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, and Shaista Parvez from PML-N; Raana Ansar from Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P); and Syed Naveed Qamar and Raja Pervez Ashraf from PPP. Additionally, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Sahibzada Hamid Raza represent the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
With a two-thirds majority in this special committee, the coalition government is positioned to finalize the Supreme Court appointment in today’s meeting. This process must conclude in three days, as the current Chief Justice, Qazi Faez Isa, is set to retire on October 25.
Per clause 3C of Article 175A, the committee must send the nomination at least 14 days prior to the Chief Justice’s retirement. However, due to the recent amendments, this nomination is to be submitted within three days before the retirement.
The committee will propose a nominee to the prime minister, who will forward it to the president for appointment. Candidates for the Supreme Court appointment include Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, and Justice Yahya Afridi, the three most senior judges after the current chief justice.
If the selected nominee declines, the remaining candidates among the three senior judges will be considered. Following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advice, President Asif Ali Zardari approved the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which is now an Act.
NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq communicated with Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani to establish this special parliamentary committee. This committee, as outlined in Article 175A, consists of eight members from the National Assembly and four from the Senate.
The NA Secretary also contacted parliamentary leaders from PPP, PML-N, MQM-P, and SIC for nominations of their members for the committee. In response, the Senate chairman provided the names of the four senators.
Prime Minister Shehbaz highlighted the significance of the 26th Constitutional Amendment during his address to the National Assembly. He described it as a historic milestone that will benefit the country’s future and foster national unity.
