On October 25, CJP Qazi Faez Isa will step down as chief justice. According to the seniority principle, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, a senior puisne judge, was originally scheduled to succeed him as CJP.
The procedure for selecting the CJP is one of the many judicial changes brought about by the recently passed 26th Constitutional Amendment.
By amending clause 3 of Article 175A, the top judge will now be “appointed on the recommendation of the Special Parliamentary Committee from amongst the three most senior” SC judges, rather than the president designating the “most senior judge of the Supreme Court” as the CJP.
