A view of the SC building in Islamabad. — APP/File
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Saturday suggested fixing the term of the chief justice of Pakistan as the federal government contemplating to amend the laws related to the judges’ appointment.
Speaking on Geo News programme Naya Pakistan, the PML-N Punjab chapter president said: “The term of the chief justice should be fixed.”
“There is no institution [in the country] whose head’s tenure is not fixed.”
He further said that it had also happened in the past that CJPs assumed their offices for just 14 days.
The PM’s adviser statement came a day after Law Minister Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar hinted at bringing constitutional amendments to change the traditional approach to selecting judges for the Supreme Court as well as high courts, saying the government wanted to establish a “balance” in the system.
He made the remarks as a meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) was held on Friday with CJP Isa in the chair to discuss proposed amendments to its 2010 rules. The law minister was among the attendees of the huddle.
The amendments are aimed at ending the automatic elevation of high court chief justices to the top court and the appointment of the most senior judge as the chief justice of high courts.
In a statement, the federal minister had said that the status of the Parliamentary Committee on Judicial Appointments was not more than a “rubber stamp” following the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.
He had further said that there should be a “balance” in the appointment of the judges.
Referring to the proposals circulating on social media platforms about the chief justice’s term, the minister said had: “I will not completely reject proposals regarding the tenure of the chief justice.”
According to media reports, the government was mulling that the tenure of the chief justice should be for a fixed term, besides introducing judicial reforms.
In the 18th Amendment, there was a balance in the appointment of judges, the law minister added.
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