Govt mulls bypassing Zardari’s assent for judges’ appointment
• President has yet to approve summary for JCP-recommended hirings • Govt reviewing possibility of issuing notifications under Article 48(1) • Presidency sources warn bypassing procedure may lead to complications • IHC reserves verdict on maintainability of plea challenging delay in notifying appointments ISLAMABAD: The federal government is considering notifying the appointment and confirmation…
The federal government in Pakistan is contemplating bypassing President Asif Ali Zardari's assent for the appointment of high court judges, despite the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) recommending the appointments. The JCP suggested the appointment of 19 additional judges to the high courts, the confirmation of four additional judges of the Peshawar High Court and one additional judge of the Lahore High Court, and the extension of tenure for an additional judge of the Sindh High Court by six months.
However, these appointments have not been formally notified by the Ministry of Law and Justice as the president has not approved the summary submitted to him. Informed sources suggest that the government is reviewing the possibility of invoking Article 48(1) of the Constitution to issue the notification, arguing that the president was required to act within a fortnight of the summary's submission.
However, sources in the Presidency caution against bypassing the prescribed procedure, warning that it could lead to political and legal complications.
Brief written by urgent.news from Dawn's own syndicated text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
