Judges’ appointments: PM nominates Aitzaz for prestigious panel

Aitzaz to replace Nayyar Bukhari as member of Parliamentary Committee for Appointment of Judges in Supreme Court.

ISLAMABAD:

In a significant move, Senator Aitzaz Ahsan has been nominated as a member of a prestigious parliamentary panel designated to appoint judges of superior courts.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani announced Aitzaz’s nomination as a member of the Parliamentary Committee for the Appointment of Judges in Supreme Court in a brief statement issued by the Prime Minister House on Wednesday.

The premier made the official announcement after detailed discussions with the newly elected senator, who also happens to be his lawyer in his contempt case in the Supreme Court.

Aitzaz will replace Nayyar Bukhari, who has been recently appointed as Chairman Senate.  According to sources, the Senator has bright chances to become the chairman of the committee as well.

The eight-member committee comprises Pakistan Peoples Party’s Aitzaz, Aftab Shaaban Mirani and Asma Arbab Alamgir; the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Ishaq Dar, Sardar Mehtab Abbasi and Khwaja Asif; PML-Quaid’s Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s Abdul Ghafoor Haidri.

The parliamentary panel will be reconstituted for the second time after its commencement. It was first reconstituted when the PML-Q joined the ruling party as an ally. Under constitutional obligations, three of the committee’s members – Ghous Bukhsh Mehar, Haroon Akhtar Khan and Ameer Muqam – had to quit their membership from the parliamentary committee on national security and judges appointment, while PML-Q president Shujaat Husain was accommodated in the judges committee.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2012.