ISLAMABAD: Minister of Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry urged parliament on Monday to adopt a constitutional revision to allow Supreme Court judges to be appointed.
The minister stated on his official Twitter account that the parliament should examine a constitutional amendment in view of the fact that five judges will be retiring from the Supreme Court this year.
“It would be a massive task if [the] parliament ensured that Supreme Court selections are open and transparent,” he added, adding that political parties should put their differences aside and cooperate on the change.
Fawad also lauded Justice Gulzar Ahmed, the outgoing Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), for taking a “historic stand” on minorities’ prayer locations.
“Judges like Justice Gulzar defended minorities and ruled independently at a time when India’s court appears impotent in the face of radicals,” he continued.
Justice Gulzar is retiring on Tuesday (tomorrow), leaving behind an anti-encroachment campaign in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi.
In December of this year, he was sworn in as the country’s highest judge. The Covid-19 pandemic had a serious affect on his tenure.
On February 2, Justice Umar Ata Bandial will take over as Chief Justice.
