Amid opposition from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice agreed to increase the number of Supreme Court judges to 25 in order to clear the backlog of cases.
The meeting, presided over by Senator Farooq H Naek, agreed to increase the sanctioned strength of SC judges to 25, including chief justice of Pakistan.
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During the committee’s meeting, the former ruling party and JUI-F lawmakers strongly opposed the decision, with PTI Senator Hamid Khan saying that they have strong reservations over such legislation. “Such a method to appoint SC judges is an attack on judicial independence,” he said.
JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza, in a statement, said the legislation was meant to appoint “favourite judges” in the top court. “After Oct 25, the judges are working in a smooth manner […] There is no need to increase the sanctioned strength,” he added.
However, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Shahadat Awan emphasised the need to raise the number SC judges to at least 21.
Speaking to Geo News, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Khalil Tahir said that Senator Abdul Qadir had presented the private member bill, seeking increased SC judges’ strength.
During the meeting, he said, the majority of members of the Senate Standing Committee supported enhancing the number to 25 for “speedy justice”.
