The first meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), which is scheduled for November 5, has been summoned by Justice Yahya Afridi, Chief Justice of Pakistan. Chief Justice Afridi will preside over the meeting, which will take place at the Supreme Court building at 2:00 p.m.
The creation of a JCP Secretariat and discussions regarding the selection of Supreme Court judges for constitutional benches are two important items on the agenda.
Justices Muneeb Akhtar, Aminuddin, and Mansoor Ali Shah are among those anticipated to attend. Azam Nazeer Tarar, Federal Law Minister, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, Akhtar Hussain, a representative of the Pakistan Bar Council, and parliamentary representatives from various parties will also participate.
Senator Farooq H. Naek from the Pakistan People’s Party, Sheikh Aftab Ahmed from the Pakistan Muslim League-N, and Umar Ayub and Shibli Faraz from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf are among the notable members. Roshan Khurshid, a female member of the group, will also be present at the meeting.
The names of lawmakers from the National Assembly and Senate had been submitted to the Supreme Court earlier. Based on the suggestions made by Leader of the House Senator Ishaq Dar and Leader of the Opposition Senator Shibli Faraz, Chairman of the Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani directed the Registrar of the Supreme Court to send nominations for the Judicial Commission.
Senators Shibli Faraz and Farooq H. Naek, who represent the opposition and the government, are among the nominees.
In the meantime, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Speaker of the National Assembly, has communicated with the Supreme Judicial Commission and provided the names of candidates proposed by parliamentary parties.
Opposition leader Omar Ayub and Sheikh Aftab from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, in addition to Roshan Khorasani Brocha for the reserved women’s seat, have been proposed by the National Assembly for the Judicial Commission.
The spokesperson for the National Assembly claims that the Judicial Commission will now consist of five parliamentarians following the approval of the 26th Amendment. The Secretary of the Judicial Commission will receive all nominations.
Parliament’s nominations guarantee that the government and the opposition will be represented equally.
Before finalizing the names, which have now been received by the Supreme Court, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq consulted with Chairman Senate Yousaf Raza Gillani and all parliamentary parties.
A 13-member judicial commission, including the chief justice, three of the Supreme Court’s most senior judges, the most senior judge on the constitutional benches, the law minister, Pakistan’s attorney general, a nominee from the Pakistan Bar Council, two members each from the National Assembly and the Senate, and a woman or non-Muslim from outside parliament, will work for the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court, high court, and federal Shariat Court, according to the recently amended Article 175-A.
Important nominations The NA spokesperson confirmed the selection of important nominees, such as Opposition Leader Omar Ayub and PML-N’s Sheikh Aftab Ahmed from the National Assembly. Additionally, Senators Farooq Naek (PPP) and Shibli Faraz (PTI) were nominated from the Senate.
Roshan Khursheed Bharucha has also been chosen to take over the female-only seat on the commission.
“All nominations have been forwarded to the Secretary of the Judicial Commission,” the spokesperson asserts.
The JCP, which is now tasked with overseeing judicial appointments and forming constitutional benches for the apex court, is part of a larger effort to balance government and opposition representation. These appointments are part of that larger effort.
The JCP now consists of five parliamentarians, including the Chief Justice of Pakistan and a representative from the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), thanks to the 26th Amendment.
