Tarar ducks question about new CJ
Law minister Azam Nazeer Tarar says no woman's case has been sent to military courts so far. SCREENGRAB
As the coalition government ramped up its push to forge consensus on the proposed judicial package, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has stated that the notification for the new Chief Justice of Pakistan could be issued "one or two days ahead of the retirement of the incumbent top judge," Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
"The notification will be issued Insha'Allah. The cut-off date [of notification] for the Ministry of Law is October 25," Tarar remarked while addressing journalists in Islamabad.
"Government will issue the notification on October 24 for the venue of oath-taking ceremony [for new CJP]," he added.
He clarified that issuing the notification one or two days before the incumbent's retirement follows established tradition.
Explaining the early issuance of Justice Isa's notification, Tarar cited the need to account for the caretaker government's formation.
Commenting on the progress of the proposed constitutional amendment, Tarar said the contentious legislation might see the light of day "before or after" October 25the day of Justice Isa's retirement.
"We have formed a sub-committee of legal experts to give recommendations to the parliamentary committee... discussions are underway on four to five items [of the draft amendment]," he said.
His remarks followed a meeting of the special parliamentary committee, chaired by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA Syed Khursheed Shah, which includes representation from all parties, to iron out the details of the proposed constitutional amendment and reach a consensus.
The amendments, often referred to as the "constitutional or judicial package," aim to establish a federal constitutional court and limit the CJP's tenure to three years, among other reforms.
Last month, the government's attempt to table the bill for the constitutional amendment hit a brick wall as both its allies and opposition members fiercely opposed the proposal, prompting the administration to kickstart a consultation process.
However, there has been a glimmer of progress in ongoing consultations on the 56-point draft, as Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman signalled conditional support for the government's "constitutional package" just a day ago.
After Saturday's discussions, though, the Fazl-led party reversed course, opposing the government's idea of creating a separate court for constitutional matters. Instead, they suggested establishing a constitutional bench within the existing system.
To pass the amendments, the government faces an uphill battle, requiring a two-thirds majority in parliament while currently falling short by 13 votes in the National Assembly (NA) and nine in the Senate.
It's worth noting that the major opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), had urged the federal government to name the next CJP sooner, accusing it of scheming to extend Justice Isa's tenure through a judiciary-centric constitutional amendmentsomething the party vehemently opposed.
PTI has thrown its weight behind Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, the next in line, to assume the position of the country's top judge.