Pakistan grants Parliament power to choose chief justice

Pakistan on Monday approved changes to the constitution, which include empowering Parliament to choose the chief justice of the Supreme Court, drawing criticism from opposition parties who said it was a attempt to overthrow the judiciary, reports News.Az citing Gulf Today.

Pakistan's highest court has become a battleground between the government and jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, ruling on issues ranging from contentious national elections to a possible military trial of Imran Khan and his supporters.

The constitutional changes were approved in a special session of Parliament that met on Sunday, a public holiday, and ran through the night, ending around dawn on Monday.

“The Chief Justice of Pakistan shall be appointed by the Special Parliamentary Committee… from among the three most senior judges of the Supreme Court,” says the text of the amendment bill, which includes a host of other changes in procedure.

Previously, the second most senior justice of the Supreme Court automatically became chief justice when the most senior justice retired at age 65.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif hailed the supremacy of Parliament, calling the adoption of the 26th constitutional amendment in the National Assembly a “historic day”.

“It has been established that Parliament is supreme,” Shahbaz said after his ruling coalition secured the two-thirds majority required to amend the constitution for the 26th time since its adoption in 1973.

The Prime Minister stressed that the amendment not only represents a legal change, but also a symbol of unity and consensus. “It is more than an amendment; it is a reaffirmation of solidarity and agreement beyond political lines,” he noted.

Reflecting on the past, Sharif criticized what he called “palace conspiracies” that led to the dismissal of governments and prime ministers. He lamented that such actions had caused significant financial losses to the national treasury. “Billions were lost due to arbitrary decisions that harmed the country’s economy.

Pakistani politicians have long complained about the judiciary's overreach in governance, stoking tensions between the judiciary and the legislature.

Shahbaz defended the amendments, saying past verdicts had led to the dismissal of sitting prime ministers, the endorsement of military dictatorships and the weakening of democracy and parliament.

Current Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa is due to retire this Friday. According to analysts, there was concern in government circles that senior judges below him and in the high courts had shown leniency towards Khan in a number of cases.

Former cricket star Imran Khan, 71, has been in jail for over a year. His dismissal in 2022 and subsequent clashes with the military triggered the worst political unrest Pakistan has seen in decades.

“It is a black day in our constitutional history and for judicial independence,” said Gohar Ali Khan, chairman of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI).

News.Az

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