Subject to Imran's nod, PTI decides to join judicial commission of Pakistan
1. Commission, responsible for hiring SC judges, is headed by CJP and also includes four senior-most judges
ISLAMABAD: After extensive discussions, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to officially join the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP).
In a statement, PTI's political committee confirmed this decision, announcing that the party would appoint members from the opposition to represent PTI in the JCP. The committee was briefed that this commission would operate as a long-term body, where the roles of the two opposition members would be pivotal in decision-making.
The political committee unanimously approved this recommendation, which will now be submitted to the core committee for further endorsement. However, final approval lies with PTI founder Imran Khan, who will also confirm the selected opposition representatives for the commission.
Led by the chief justice, the JCP will oversee the appointment of Supreme Court judges and will include the four most senior judges, the Federal Law Minister, the Attorney General, representatives from both the National Assembly and Senate, and a member from the bar councils with at least 15 years of experience. The commission is tasked with determining the number of constitutional benches and judges for both the Supreme Court and High Courts.
This restructuring of the JCP follows the recent passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment by the ruling coalition, an amendment that PTI largely opposed. The party has also reiterated its strong stance against any future constitutional amendments that the government might propose, as sources indicate that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto have recently discussed a potential "27th constitutional amendment."
