ISLAMABAD The News reported on Sunday that a proposal to develop statutory criteria for nominating judges to constitutional benches was rejected by the majority of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan’s (JCP) subcommittee.
To discuss the issue, the five-member subcommittee—led by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail—met at the Supreme Court.
Senator Barrister Ali Zafar, speaking for the opposition, vehemently defended the concept of using such criteria to control the discretion of JCP members, while Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan and Senator Farooq H. Naek rejected it.
Ahsen Bhoon, a representative of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), agreed with the majority opinion, stating that only the JCP itself has the authority to create regulations for the appointment of judges to constitutional benches in accordance with Article 191A of the Constitution.
