The newly formed 12-member special parliamentary committee will convene today to finalize the name of the new chief justice of Pakistan.
The meeting, scheduled for 4pm, will consider the names of the three most senior judges of the Supreme Court. The decision is supposed to be reached by a two-thirds majority and will then be forwarded to the prime minister for approval.
The committee includes four members from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), three from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and three jointly from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Sunni Ittehad Council. The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) each have one representative on the panel.
The members of the committee come from both houses of parliament, including four senators and eight members of the National Assembly. PML-N’s Azam Nazir Tarar, Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, and Shaista Parvaiz Malik are among the committee members, alongside PPP’s Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Farooq H. Naik, and Naveed Qamar.
The opposition is represented by Barrister Gohar, Ali Zafar, and Sahibzada Hamid Raza, while MQM’s Rana Ansar and JUI’s Kamran Murtaza are also part of the decision-making process.
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The formation of this special committee follows letters written by the Senate chairman and speaker of the National Assembly to major political parties to nominate members in proportion to their representation in parliament. A notification has been issued regarding the committee's formation.
The committee has to reach a decision by midnight today, after which the selected name will be forwarded to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who will then send it to the president for formal approval. Upon receiving presidential consent, an official notification will be issued, and Pakistan’s new chief justice will assume office.
Under the provisions of the 26th Amendment, the CJP's term is now fixed at three years or until the judge reaches the retirement age of 65.
Following the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari signed the amendment into law early on Monday.
Significantly, the selection process for the chief justice will now involve a pool of the three most senior judges of the Supreme Court, moving away from the previous sole reliance on seniority.
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The current seniority list positions Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah as the most senior, followed by Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Yahya Afridi. If any of these judges decline the position, the next senior judge will be considered.
A report from The News suggested that Justice Yahya Afridi is the frontrunner for the chief justice position, with government insiders indicating that his non-controversial and neutral stance amidst recent divisions in the apex court may bolster his candidacy.
Overview of leading candidates
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah: As the senior-most judge, he is a prominent contender. He has served as the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court before his elevation to the Supreme Court in early 2018.
Justice Munib Akhtar: Born in 1963, he joined the Supreme Court in 2018 and is regarded as a significant candidate due to his judicial experience.
Justice Yahya Afridi: The third on the seniority list, he was the Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court before his elevation to the Supreme Court in 2018.
