Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah have been appointed to the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), filling two vacant positions reserved for parliamentary representatives from the government’s treasury benches.
The appointments follow the resignations of PPP Senator Farooq H. Naek and PML-N member Aftab Sheikh. Bilawal will represent the National Assembly, while Rana Sanaullah will represent the Senate, according to the reported appointment notification.
Who Nominated the New JCP Members?
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar made the nominations under Article 175A(2)(vii) of the Constitution.
Sharif, as leader of the House in the National Assembly, nominated the representative for that chamber. Dar, who leads the government in the Senate, nominated the representative for the upper house.
The Judicial Commission issued the appointment notification on Friday with the approval of Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, who chairs the body.
The appointments fill the two treasury-bench vacancies left by the departing members. They do not, by themselves, establish any change in the commission’s wider constitutional mandate.
What Is the Judicial Commission of Pakistan?
The JCP plays a central role in Pakistan’s judicial appointment process. Under Article 175A of the Constitution, it considers appointments to the Supreme Court, high courts, Federal Shariat Court and, under the applicable constitutional framework, the Federal Constitutional Court.
The commission also evaluates the performance of high court judges.
Its decisions and recommendations are therefore relevant to the composition of the superior judiciary and the administration of the judicial appointment process.
How the 26th Constitutional Amendment Changed the Commission
The 26th Constitutional Amendment revised Article 175A and changed the commission’s composition, including the role of parliamentary representatives.
Under the framework described in the reported account, Parliament has four representatives on the commission, with two from the treasury benches and two from the opposition. The National Assembly and Senate are represented in this arrangement.
The commission also includes senior judicial members, the federal law minister, the attorney general for Pakistan, a Supreme Court advocate with at least 15 years of practice and a qualifying woman, non-Muslim or technocrat who is not a member of Parliament.
Its precise composition and appointment procedures are governed by the Constitution, so the latest official text of Article 175A should be consulted when reporting the membership in detail.
JCP Meeting Scheduled for October 13
The commission’s next meeting is scheduled for October 13. According to the reported agenda, members will consider extending the term of the Constitutional Benches of the Sindh High Court.
The meeting will provide the next immediate point of attention following the appointment of the two treasury-bench representatives.
The appointments restore the vacant positions, while the commission continues to exercise its responsibilities under the constitutional framework. Any further decisions on judicial appointments or the tenure of constitutional benches will depend on the commission’s proceedings and applicable legal provisions.
About Tamoor Ahmed
Tamoor Ahmad has been covering politics since 2022.
