Pakistan parliament approves amendment limiting Chief Justice's term to 3 years

Shehbaz Sharif. Pic/AFP

Following a lengthy overnight debate, Pakistan's National Assembly approved the contentious judicial amendment bill early Monday, restricting the chief justice's term to three years. The 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill was passed with the backing of 225 out of 336 members, reported PTI.

According to the report, the opposition, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Sunni-Ittehad Council (SIC), rejected the amendment, arguing that it undermined judicial independence. However, six independent lawmakers associated with the PTI supported the bill, giving the government the necessary 224 votes.

On Sunday night, the Senate adopted the law by a two-thirds vote, with 65 in support and 4 against. Now that both Houses of Parliament have passed the bill, it will be sent to President Asif Ali Zardari for assent under Article 75 of Pakistan's Constitution, at which point it will become law.

The amendment modifies how the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is appointed, establishing a special panel to select the Chief Justice from among the three most senior judges. The commission will consist of the current chief justice, four senior Supreme Court justices, two senators, and two National Assembly members, one from the opposition, the news agency report stated.

The PTI report further stated that Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, who introduced the bill in the Senate, argued that the reforms would help expedite justice at the Supreme Court. The amendment also eliminates the automatic promotion of the Supreme Court's senior-most judge to chief justice upon the incumbent's retirement.

Following the bill's passing, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described it as a symbol of national unity and unanimity. "Today's amendment is not just a legal reform, but a new dawn for the nation," he told lawmakers.

However, the opposition strongly opposed the move. PTI lawmaker Hammad Azhar described the proposal as a "death blow to judicial independence," claiming that giving the government the power to choose judges would politicise the judiciary. Salman Akram Raja, the PTI leader, called it as one of the darkest events in Pakistan's parliamentary history, the report added.

Ali Zafar, a PTI leader who spoke before the Senate, claimed that party members were pressured into supporting the bill, with others absent due to fear of kidnapping. He advised the Senate chairman not to count the votes of any PTI members.

Meanwhile, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) president Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who played a vital role in achieving the bill's passage, said the government was determined to proceed with the modification, despite PTI's stance.