Parliamentary committee formed to appoint new CJP

A special parliamentary committee has been formed to oversee the appointment of the next Chief Justice of Pakistan in the wake of 26th constitutional amendment.

The amendment to Article 175A proposes key changes to how judges are appointed, shifting more authority to a 12-member parliamentary committee – comprised of eight members from the National Assembly (NA) and four senators – to appoint the CJP, selecting from among the three most senior judges.

The Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) nominated Senator Azam Nazir Tarar, while the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) named Senator Farooq Naek for the committee.

Senator Kamran Murtaza was nominated by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), and Senator Ali Zafar was put forward by the Sunni Ittehad Council.

Additionally, Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) nominated Raja Pervez Ashraf and Syed Naveed Qamar from the National Assembly (NA), with Barrister Gohar and Sahibzada Hamid Raza nominated by the Sunni Ittehad Council.

The 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill has become law after being approved by both houses of parliament and receiving approval by the President Asif Ali Zardari.

In a session chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Federal Law Minister Nazir Tarar introduced the amendment. Out of 237 members, 225 voted in favor, while 12 opposed the motion.