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Sunday, September 01, 2013

Appointment of judges in superior courts

Lawyers disappointed over dominance of JCP in process

* PBC urges government and opposition to make parliamentary committee effective

* Decides to contact all major political parties on the issue

By Hasnaat Malik

ISLAMABAD: Expressing dissatisfaction over the role of the Parliamentary Committee on Judges’ Appointment, the Pakistan Bar Council has urged the government and opposition parties to make the committee effective in the process of the appointment of superior courts’ judges.

An important meeting of the PBC Executive Committee was held on Saturday, in which the bar’s representative in the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) was specially invited to brief the committee on the proceedings of the JCP. Regarding the outcome of the meeting, PBC Executive Committee Chairman Mian Abbas Ahmad said that lawyers were disappointed with the “ineffectiveness” of the Parliamentary Committee on Judges’ Appointment, therefore, the PBC has decided to ask all the major political parties to make it effective.

Mian Abbas also contended that lawyers believe that the committee was becoming ineffective in comparison to the JCP, and that the latter has remained dominant in the process of appointments. He said if the committee rejects the nominees of the JAC, the relevant high court can set aside the decision. It must be noted that the parliamentary committee had already formed a sub-committee of three parliamentarians, who are also practicing lawyers, for making the committee more effective in appointment of superior courts’ judges.

The members of the sub-committee are Senator Rafiq Rajwana, former law minister Farooq H Naek and Chaudhry Bashir Wirk, who would examine how the role of Parliamentary Committee on Judges Appointments could be made more effective, as they have been feeling that the role of JCP, especially judiciary, has remained dominant on the matter after the insertion of 19th Amendment in the constitution.

PBC Executive Committee Chairman said that Yasin Azad had also briefed the executive committee regarding the commission’s proceedings about the appointment of eight Sindh High Court (SHC) and three Balochistan High Court (BHC) additional judges. “Yasin Azad has informed the PBC that he had raised objections on these high courts’ appointments but the commission rejected the lawyers concerns,” he added.

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk

 

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