ISLAMABAD – After the implementation of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, the first meeting of the special parliamentary committee for the appointment of the new Chief Justice of Pakistan was adjourned, and it will now resume at 8:30 PM.
The 12-member closed-door meeting of the special parliamentary committee was held in Committee Room 5 of the Parliament House.
Members of the Sunni Ittehad Council boycotted the meeting, but seats were reserved for their three members, Ali Zafar, Barrister Gohar, and Hamid Raza.
During the meeting, the names of three judges, recommended by the Law Secretary for the appointment of the Chief Justice, were presented.
According to sources, JUI Senator Kamran Murtaza contacted Sunni Ittehad Council leaders via phone and invited them to participate in the meeting, but they refused.
Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said that the Sunni Ittehad Council members should be convinced to join the meeting. He emphasised that democracy thrives on engaging the opposition, and four members of the parliamentary committee were tasked with persuading them.
Following this, the meeting was adjourned.
Speaking to the media, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar stated that the meeting would resume at 8:30 PM. He added that one party did not participate in the meeting and they have requested the Speaker’s intervention. He expressed the desire to handle the matter democratically, and a four-member committee, including Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Kamran Murtaza, Rana Ansar, and Ahsan Iqbal, was formed to engage the opposition by visiting their chamber.
The Registrar of the Supreme Court has sent three names for the new Chief Justice of Pakistan, nominated by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. The names include Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, and Justice Yahya Afridi.
The committee will finalize one name for the new Chief Justice and send it to the Prime Minister.
