Countdown is on for naming new chief justice of Pakistan
The coalition government now has just over 30 hours to appoint the next Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) following the enactment of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which requires the appointment to be made three days before the incumbent CJP’s retirement. The next chief justice must be selected by midnight on October 22, 2024, as CJP Qazi Faez Isa is set to retire on October 25, 2024.
The newly enacted law, signed by President Asif Ali Zardari after receiving advice from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif early Monday, establishes that the CJP’s term will be three years or until reaching the retirement age of 65. The 26th Amendment’s significant change is that seniority will no longer be the exclusive criterion for selection of the CJP. Rather, the decision will be made by selecting one of the Supreme Court’s three most senior judges.
The selection will be made by a 12-member parliamentary committee, which must reach a two-thirds majority to finalize the nomination. The selected candidate’s name will then be forwarded to the prime minister, who will send the nomination to the president for final approval. If any of the three senior judges declines the role, the next senior judge will be considered.
Currently, the top three judges in line are Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, and Justice Yahya Afridi. There have been rumours that Justice Yahya Afridi is the leading candidate, and a number of official sources have expressed support for his appointment because of his impartial and uncontroversial position standing during a time of division within the court.
