ISLAMABAD: Special Parliamentary Committee has agreed to appoint Justice Yahya Afridi as new Chief Justice of Pakistan.
Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar said that the majority of the committee has supported the nomination of the Justice Afridi as the CJP and his name is being sent to the prime minister for the approval. The President of Pakistan will finally approve the appointment of the new chief justice of Pakistan on the advice of the prime minister.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the minister said, “Justice Afridi’s nomination has been sent to the prime minister with a two-third majority.”.
A 12-member Special Parliamentary Committee, formed after the 26th constitutional amendment, held its meeting with nine out of 12 members in attendance to deliberate the three names for a top judge slot. The committee for the first time in the country’s history nominated the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP).
The development came after two rounds of in-camera meeting of the parliamentary panel comprising government and opposition members held earlier today with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) boycotting the proceedings "in line with the party's political committee's decision".
Sources said that Pakistan People's Party and JUI had proposed the name of Mansoor Ali Shah, the most senior judge of the Supreme Court, as the Chief Justice of Pakistan
They were of opinion that Justice Shah as the CJP Chief Justice will not be able to pose a threat to the government after the formation of the constitutional bench, which would be selected by the judicial commission.
By appointing Mansoor Ali Shah, PTI and lawyers would not get any chance to protest, the JUI and PPP maintained, adding this appointment would also be an impression of consensus.
However, Pakistan Muslim League-N and MQM emphasized the name of Justice Yahya Afridi. No party gave the name of the second most senior judge Justice Muneeb Akhtar in the parliamentary special committee meeting.
Earlier, two in-camera session took place in Room No. 5, with both government and opposition members in attendance. However, members from the opposition’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) did not participate in the meetings.
The government faces a tight deadline to appoint a new CJP as the current Chief Justice, Qazi Faez Isa, is set to retire on October 25. Previously, the senior puisne judge, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, would have automatically succeeded him under the old law. However, the process has changed with the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill.
According to the amendments to clause 3 of Article 175A, the new CJP will be chosen from the three most senior judges of the Supreme Court, based on a two-thirds majority vote from the Special Parliamentary Committee. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah is the most senior, followed by Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Yahya Afridi.
