Today at 4 pm, the Special Parliamentary Committee, consisting of 12 members and formed under Article 175A of the revised Constitution, will convene to select the next Chief Justice of Pakistan’s Supreme Court. This closed-door meeting follows the enactment of the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
Read: NA Ratifies 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill 2024 Despite Divided Opinions
After passing the amendment by both legislative chambers, the National Assembly swiftly nominated a new Chief Justice. The assembly’s notification specified the committee’s formation, reflecting nominations from parliamentary leaders based on party representation in Parliament.
The committee includes prominent members from various parties: Senators Azam Nazeer Tarar (PML-N), Farooq H Naek (PPP), Syed Ali Zafar (PTI), and Kamran Murtaza (JUI-F); and National Assembly members Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, Shaista Parvez (PML-N), Raana Ansar (MQM-P), Syed Naveed Qamar, Raja Pervez Ashraf (PPP), Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, and Sahibzada Hamid Raza (SIC).
With a coalition government majority, the committee is poised to finalize the nomination promptly, especially as the incumbent Chief Justice, Qazi Faez Isa, is set to retire on October 25. According to the procedure outlined in Article 175A, the committee must submit their choice to the Prime Minister within three days before the retirement, who will forward it to the President for official appointment.
The candidates considered for nomination are Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, and Justice Yahya Afridi, the three senior-most justices following Chief Justice Isa.
In response, the Senate chairman confirmed the inclusion of Senators Tarar, Naek, Zafar, and Murtaza, as suggested by their parliamentary leaders, following the legislative procedure that marked a significant moment in Pakistan’s governance and national unity.
