According to government sources, deliberations have begun on getting a package of 22 amendments related to the judicial system and reforms approved by Parliament on Sunday.
Sources say that the Prime Minister's Office has not sent any message to any government member regarding participation in tomorrow's meeting, which is why it is being speculated that the confidential constitutional package is more likely to be approved on Sunday.
Sources further said that although the coalition partners have been informed about the legislation, they have not been provided with further details. There has been no consensus on the extension of judges' tenure, and it has been decided that the appointment of the Chief Justice will follow the same procedure as the appointment of the Army Chief.
Sources also mentioned that after the legislation, a summary of the five most senior judges will be sent to the Prime Minister, who will approve one to be appointed as Chief Justice. Additionally, the Parliamentary Committee and the Judicial Commission will be merged to finalize the appointment of judges.
The government's stance is that lobbying starts before the appointment of the senior judge as Chief Justice, making the amendment necessary. There has also been an agreement on the transfer of judges in the High Courts.
Judicial Commission Meeting on Rules Amendment for Appointing Judges to Higher Judiciary
In a meeting of the Judicial Commission chaired by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, consensus was reached on some changes to the proposed draft regarding amendments to the rules for appointing judges to the higher judiciary.
According to a statement issued after today's meeting, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah briefed the members about the rules.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan thanked the members and the co-chairperson for drafting the rules.
The statement also mentioned that it was ensured that the draft rules are in compliance with the Constitution, and consensus was achieved on the proposals.
At the end of the meeting, it was decided that the Chief Justice and senior judges would draft the rules according to the proceedings, and the next meeting would be held on September 28. Consensus was also reached on some changes to the proposed draft amendments.
The new draft will be presented to the members in the next meeting.
The next meeting of the Judicial Commission will be held on September 28 at 10 AM.
Before the meeting, it was reported that Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, and Justice Yahya Afridi would be present, along with Justice (R) Manzoor Malik, Attorney General Mansoor Awan, and Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar.
Typically, senior judges from the High Courts do not attend Judicial Commission meetings due to not being members, but sources said that the Chief Justices and senior judges from the High Courts were specially invited to the meeting, and law ministers from all four provinces will also attend. Usually, the Chief Justice and Law Minister of the High Court where appointments are being made attend the meeting.
The proposed Judicial Commission Rules 2024 will be reviewed in the meeting, and after approval, judges' appointments will be made. Letters have already been sent to the Chief Justices of the Islamabad High Court and all five provincial High Courts requesting nominations for candidates for the appointment of judges.
It is worth noting that two judge positions are currently vacant in the Islamabad High Court, and 24 positions are vacant in the Lahore High Court. The President has increased the number of judges in the Peshawar High Court from 20 to 30.
Currently, 13 judges are serving in the Peshawar High Court, while a total of 17 judges need to be appointed. There are 11 vacancies in the Sindh High Court and 4 in the Balochistan High Court.
A bill to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court from 17 to 23 is under consideration by the relevant committee. Prior to this, a meeting was held on May 3 to amend the rules, where the Law Minister informed the commission that the federal government intends to amend Article 175 of the Constitution, after which the committee postponed the approval of the rules amendment.
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