The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), led by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, will meet today to discuss the appointment of eight Supreme Court judges.
The agenda will consider five senior judges from the country’s high courts, with expectations of nominations from the Sindh, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Balochistan High Courts.
Two judges are expected to be promoted from the Sindh and Islamabad High Courts, alongside one from the Peshawar and Balochistan High Courts. However, the session might be delayed due to a request from four Supreme Court judges, including Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Munib Akhtar, commission members. They suggested postponing the meeting until a resolution is made regarding the challenge to the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
The current composition of the JCP, following the 26th Amendment, includes Chief Justice Afridi, Justice Shah, Justice Akhtar, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar, a representative from the Pakistan Bar Council, and parliamentary members from both governing and opposition parties.
Read: Supreme Court Judges Call for Postponement of Appointments
Additionally, PTI-affiliated Senator Ali Zafar has conditionally called for the meeting deferral. In contrast, six prominent bar associations have expressed disapproval of calls for protests against the JCP session. In a unified statement, the Pakistan Bar Council, Supreme Court Bar Association, and various regional bar councils underscored their support for the JCP’s proceedings. It denounced the politicization of the judiciary by certain legal community factions.
The bar associations reaffirmed their backing for the 26th Constitutional Amendment and related legislation, declaring these measures as crucial components of the Constitution. They emphasized that only recognized representative bodies hold the legitimacy to call for a strike, marking a clear stance against disruptions to the judicial appointment process.
