ISLAMABAD, Oct 22 (Alliance News): A 12-member Special Parliamentary Committee is convening today at 4 PM to decide on the appointment of the next Chief Justice of Pakistan.
The committee was notified by the National Assembly secretariat on Monday night, following the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which amends Article 175A of the Constitution.
The committee will hold an in-camera meeting to determine the nominee for the position, which is set for a three-year term. The nomination process began immediately after the legislation was approved by both houses of Parliament.
According to the National Assembly notification, the Special Parliamentary Committee is composed of members nominated by their respective parliamentary leaders, reflecting their parties’ strength in the Assembly.
The committee includes senators Azam Nazeer Tarar (PML-N), Farooq H Naek (PPP), Syed Ali Zafar (PTI), and Kamran Murtaza (JUI-F). The National Assembly members are Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, and Shaista Parvez from PML-N; Raana Ansar (MQM-P); Syed Naveed Qamar and Raja Pervez Ashraf (PPP); and Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Sahibzada Hamid Raza from the Sunni Ittehad Council.
With the coalition government holding a two-thirds majority in the committee, it is expected that the nomination will be finalized in this initial meeting.
The appointment process must be completed within three days, as the current Chief Justice, Qazi Faez Isa, is set to retire on October 25.
Under clause 3C of Article 175A, the committee is required to send the nomination to the Prime Minister, who will then forward it to the President for appointment.
The potential nominees are Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, and Justice Yahya Afridi—who are the three senior-most judges of the Supreme Court following the incumbent Chief Justice. If the selected nominee declines, the remaining senior judges will be considered.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advised President Asif Ali Zardari to give assent to the ‘Constitution (26th Amendment) Bill 2024’, turning it into law.
This amendment has been heralded by the Prime Minister as a significant milestone in the nation’s history, aimed at safeguarding Pakistan’s future.
