Pakistan passes amendment empowering parliament to pick top judge
Al Jazeera
The Supreme Court’s chief justice will now be selected by parliamentary committee and have a fixed term of three years.
Pakistan’s government has approved new constitutional amendments to give legislators more power in appointing the top judge – a move seen as sidelining the courts that have allegedly favoured jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill was passed early on Monday in what marked the culmination of months of negotiations followed by an hours-long overnight session of the National Assembly, as the lower house of parliament is known in the country.
The amendment says the Supreme Court’s chief justice will now be selected by a parliamentary committee and have a fixed term of three years.
Since the general elections in February this year were marred by rigging allegations, relations have soured between the government and the top court as multiple court rulings have backed Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
