Bilawal, Rana Sanaullah formally made members of Judicial Commission of Pakistan

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the prime minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah have been formally made members of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, filling two treasury-bench seats left vacant by recent resignations. The appointments as Judicial Commission of Pakistan members were confirmed on Friday.

The two replace PPP’s Farooq H. Naek and PML-N’s Aftab Sheikh, who stepped down from the commission. Bilawal will represent the treasury benches from the National Assembly while Rana Sanaullah represents them from the Senate. They were nominated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as leader of the house in the National Assembly and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar as leader of the house in the Senate, under Article 175A(2)(vii) of the Constitution. The notification was issued with the approval of Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, who chairs the commission.

Judicial Commission of Pakistan members: October 13 meeting next

The October 13 meeting will be the first with the two new members in place, and its headline item is the extension of the Sindh High Court Constitutional Benches’ term. With four parliamentarians now sitting on the commission after the 26th Amendment, the treasury’s picks carry weight for the future shape of the superior judiciary.

The next meeting of the Judicial Commission is scheduled for October 13, when it will consider extending the term of the Sindh High Court’s Constitutional Benches. The commission appoints judges to the Federal Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the high courts and the Federal Shariat Court.

The 26th Constitutional Amendment reconstituted the commission to include four members of parliament, giving elected representatives a direct role in judicial appointments. The nominations of Bilawal and Sanaullah were reported earlier this week; Friday’s notification makes their membership formal.

Who did Bilawal and Rana Sanaullah replace on the JCP?

They replace PPP’s Farooq H. Naek and PML-N’s Aftab Sheikh, who resigned from the commission, leaving two treasury-bench seats vacant.

What does the Judicial Commission of Pakistan do?

The commission appoints judges to the Federal Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the high courts and the Federal Shariat Court. The 26th Amendment added four parliament members to it.

When does the Judicial Commission meet next?

The next meeting is on October 13, when the commission will consider extending the term of the Sindh High Court’s Constitutional Benches.

Bilawal says governor’s rule is last option for KP, warns PTI over ‘extremist politics’