Government and Opposition Finalize Nominations for Judicial Commission of Pakistan
The government and opposition have finalized nominations for the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) as part of its reconstitution under the 26th amendment, with four key figures proposed for the commission.
ISLAMABAD: The government and opposition have completed the nomination process for the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), which is being reconstituted following the 26th amendment. Each side has proposed two names for consideration.
The government's nominees are PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari from the National Assembly and PML-N leader Senator Irfan Siddiqui from the Senate. On the opposition side, PTI leader Umar Ayub represents the National Assembly, while Senator Shibli Faraz serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.
Sources indicate that these nominations were finalized after National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq reached out to parliamentary leaders of political parties to submit their selections for the JCP. The opposition's choices were confirmed with the approval of PTI founder Imran Khan.
The parliamentary leaders are expected to forward their nominations to the National Assembly Speaker on Thursday.
The newly amended Article 175-A outlines the structure of a 13-member judicial commission, which includes the Chief Justice, three senior judges of the Supreme Court, the most senior judge of the constitutional benches, the Law Minister, the Attorney General for Pakistan, a nominee from the Pakistan Bar Council, two members each from the National Assembly and Senate, and a woman or non-Muslim member from outside parliament. This commission will oversee the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court, high courts, and the Federal Shariat Court.
According to Article 175-A, the commission will nominate one candidate for each judicial vacancy to the Prime Minister, who will then forward the recommendation to the President for appointment. Additionally, the commission is responsible for evaluating the annual performance of high court judges. Should a judge be deemed inefficient, the commission will allow a designated period for improvement. If performance remains unsatisfactory after this period, the commission will report to the Supreme Judicial Council, which addresses misconduct cases against judges.
The 26th Amendment further empowers the commission to establish separate rules for effective performance evaluation standards. A third of the members can request a meeting by submitting a written request to the chairperson, who must convene the meeting within 15 days of receiving such a request.
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