ISLAMABAD: A meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Judges headed by PTI MNA Ali Muhammad Khan on Friday amended the rules for appointment of judges.
As per the new amendments, the parliamentary committee can summon any nominated judge for interview. If the candidate fails to appear before the committee, his/her nomination for the post would be considered as rejected.
The process regarding rejected cases has also been introduced in new rules. The parliamentary committee has the right to form a sub-committee and if any member remains absent during three consecutive sessions, his/her membership will be cancelled. The new chairman of the committee will be appointed in the next session on December 4 for the next six months.
Commenting on the development, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) former president Syed Ali Zafar told Pakistan Today that there was nothing wrong in parliamentary oversight on judges’ appointment.
“I think the parliamentary committee has decided to scrutinise the judicial appointments, which is now a norm worldwide. Parliamentary oversight and interviews are a tradition in US and now it’s the right of the parliament if they are opting for it. In my view there is nothing wrong with the decision of the parliamentary committee,” he added.
Another former SCBA president Kamran Murtaza opposed parliamentary oversight on judges’ appointment, saying it was a technical issue and should be dealt by professionals.
“Judiciary is a profession par excellence and a judge of superior court has to be interviewed by people who have technical knowledge about the profession. Parliamentarians may be very knowledgeable but they may not have technical knowledge on law. So I think that parliamentary oversight may not be a good idea,” he added.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s legal wizard Ashtar Ausaf Ali said that there was no harm in interviewing the judges before their appointment.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira said that his party had originally floated the idea but it was shot down by the then chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry.
“There must be a parliamentary oversight on judges’ appointment. It will bode well for the country,” he said.
