Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi convened a meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on February 11 to discuss the appointment of eight new judges to the Supreme Court.
In 2023, CJP Afridi restructured the Judicial Commission with the 26th Constitutional Amendment, establishing a seven-member constitutional bench and expanding the JCP to 13 members tasked with appointing judges to the Supreme Court, high courts, and the Federal Shariat Court (FSC).
The reconstituted JCP, led by CJP Afridi, comprises two senators, two members of the National Assembly (MNAs), three of the Supreme Court’s senior-most judges, the senior judge of the constitutional bench, the Federal Minister for Law and Justice, the Attorney General for Pakistan, and a veteran advocate from the Pakistan Bar Council with at least 15 years of Supreme Court practice.
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Additionally, the commission includes either a woman or a non-Muslim parliamentarian nominated by the parliamentary speaker for two years.
Recent changes have seen the JCP denotify the senior puisne judges from the Lahore, Balochistan, and Peshawar High Courts as members, following objections from Supreme Court Justice Munib Akhtar during a JCP session on January 17, 2025. This objection, supported by the Attorney-General of Pakistan and upheld by the Chairperson of the JCP, was based on constitutional interpretations relating to judicial appointments, pending any further judicial pronouncements.
This strategic assembly underscores a pivotal moment for judicial appointments in Pakistan, reflecting the ongoing efforts to align the judiciary with constitutional mandates and ensuring the representation of diverse legal perspectives within the nation’s highest courts.
