- Earlier in the day, all six bills were approved by the Senate and the National Assembly.
- A bill seeking to increase the number of IHC judges has been approved.
- The Supreme Committee’s draft law on practices and procedures also received Parliament’s approval.
All six bills approved by the Senate and National Assembly earlier today turned into law after Acting President Yousuf Raza Gilani signed them on Tuesday.
According to sources, the Acting President signed all the six bills including the Number of Supreme Court Judges (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Supreme Court Practices and Procedures (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Islamabad High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2024. .
Earlier in the day, the two chambers approved draft laws presented by Law Minister Azzam Nazir Tarar. The first sought to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court to 34 in an attempt to end the backlog of cases.
According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons, “The number of Judges of the Supreme Court of the Court of Pakistan shall be fixed under the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1997 (…) The number of Judges of the Supreme Court is sixteen plus one Chief Justice. In view of the continuous increase in litigation in Pakistan and the increasing The pace of litigation, it is necessary to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court.
She added: “In light of the above, it is proposed to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court from sixteen to thirty-three, in addition to the Chief Justice.”
Highlighting the salient features of the bill, the Law Minister – while speaking on the floor of the House – said that under the amendment bill, the number of judges may be increased to 34.
He explained that the move was aimed at addressing the backlog of cases in the Supreme Court and stressed that the number of judges could be adjusted according to time-based requirements.
“This amendment will increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court to 34, so that the backlog of cases can be cleared, and that after the 26th Amendment, we can have judges to form the constitutional benches.”
In addition, the Minister has introduced a bill seeking to amend the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023, with a view to incorporating the additions made in the 26th Constitutional Amendment, including the introduction of constitutional benches.
The bill sought to add Article 191A of the Constitution – establishing constitutional bodies – to the preamble.
“Articles 191 and 191A of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan enable the Shura Council (Parliament) to provide for the practices and procedures of the Supreme Court, including constitutional bodies,” the draft law said.
Furthermore, the bill proposed another amendment to ensure that the law comes into effect simultaneously with the 26th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2024.
Moreover, another bill – the Islamabad Supreme Court (Amendment) Bill, 2024 – has also been passed which seeks to increase the number of judges from nine to 12 judges in the Islamabad High Court.
“In view of the continuous increase in lawsuits in Islamabad and as it grows into a cultural and commercial centre, and it is also clear from the growth of population in Islamabad that more lawsuits will burden the Supreme Court, it is therefore necessary for this number to increase. It is possible to increase the number of judges in Islamabad High Court.
Shortly after the law minister introduced the bill, the vote took place despite strong opposition.
This development came as the ruling coalition continued to implement reforms in the country’s judicial structure, the latest of which was the twenty-sixth constitutional amendment – which changed the AKP appointment procedures, determined the term of office, and created constitutional seats.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan (Army/Air Force/Navy) Amendment Bill, 2024, was introduced in both houses by Defense Minister Khawaja Asif.
“The purpose of these amendments is to bring into line the Pakistan Army Act, 1952, the Pakistan Navy Ordinance, 1961 and the Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953, with maximum term limits for the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of Staff of the Pakistan Navy and Air Force.” “Chief of the Air Staff and to make subsequent amendments for uniformity in the above laws,” the draft bill — a copy of which is available with Geo News — said.
Regarding retirement age and service limits for chiefs of services, including COAS, CNS and CAS, the document stated that the standards stipulated for senior military officers “shall not apply” to chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force during their “term of office”. Appointment, reappointment and/or extension.”
Apart from this, both houses of Parliament also adopted the Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953 and the Pakistan Navy Amendment Bill, 1961.
The bill seeking to amend the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 reads as follows: “In the said Act, in Section 8A, in sub-section (1), for the expression ‘three (03)’ the word ‘five (05)’ shall be substituted.”
Likewise, the bill aims to increase the length of time in which a service chief can be reappointed or extend his or her term to five years, and amend section 8B of the law.
“In the said law, in Section 8B, in subsection (1)-10 for the expression “three (03)”, which is repeated twice, the expression “five (05)” must be replaced.
Moreover, the government has also proposed an amendment to Article 8C, which deals with the retirement age, which is 64, and service limits for service chiefs.
The proposed amendment states: “The retirement age and service limits established for a general, under the rules and regulations promulgated under this Act, shall not apply to the Chief of Staff of the Army, during the term of his appointment, reappointment and/or extension.” . Throughout this period, the Chief of Army Staff continues to serve as a General in the Pakistan Army.
After the bills were passed, Parliament Speaker Ayaz Sadiq adjourned the session until 11 am tomorrow.
