With the current Chief Justice of Pakistan, Qazi Faiz Isa, set to retire on October 25, the coalition government has begun the process of appointing a new judge to the Supreme Court after enacting the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which provides for the appointment of the highest-ranking judge to the court. It is filled three days before the incumbent retires.
In a notification issued late Monday, the National Assembly Secretariat said that a 12-member special parliamentary committee has been formed to appoint the next Chief Justice of Pakistan.
The 26th Constitutional Amendment limits the CJP’s term to three years or until it reaches the retirement age of 65. In addition, the selection of the Chief Justice will not be based on seniority alone, instead, the choice will be made from among the three most important. Senior judges of the Supreme Court.
President Asif Ali Zardari signed the bill into law on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the early hours of Monday morning.
After amending Article 175A of the Constitution, a special 12-member parliamentary committee will nominate the new Chief Justice from among three senior judges of the Supreme Court.
The recommendation is considered final after the committee approves a name for the desired judicial position by a two-thirds majority.
Based on the committee’s recommendation, the Prime Minister sends the nomination to the President for final approval.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more details.