CJP appointment: Barrister Gohar refuses to attend parliamentary committee meeting

ISLAMABAD: The Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Barrister Gohar, has refused to participate in the ongoing parliamentary committee meetings concerning the appointment of the new Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), ARY News reported on Tuesday.

As per the details, negotiations between PTI and the government, held in the Speaker’s Chamber, ended in failure, leading Barrister Gohar to publicly state that the PTI does not recognize the recently passed constitutional amendment or the legitimacy of the committee.

Gohar emphasized that PTI’s political committee has made a final decision, and the party will issue show-cause notices to those members who disappeared during the constitutional amendment voting process.

On the other hand, Kamran Murtaza confirmed PTI’s refusal to participate in the proceedings of voting for the constitutional amendments. Earlier in the day, a parliamentary meeting to appoint the new Chief Justice was adjourned.

The committee, chaired by Special Secretary Legislation Mushtaq Ahmed, had decided to form a four-member delegation to approach the Sunni Ittehad Council for further discussions.

The Minister of Law, Azam Nazeer Tarar, highlighted the democratic nature of the process, emphasizing the committee’s commitment to inclusive dialogue.

Despite PTI’s boycott, the committee will reconvene later at 8:30pm, with Speaker Ayaz Sadiq being urged to persuade PTI to reconsider its stance.

Earlier to this, a special 12-member parliamentary committee has been formed for the appointment of the new Chief Justice of Pakistan, as per an official notification issued today.

The committee includes political figures such as Senator Azam Nazir Tarar, Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, and Shaista Pervaiz.

Other members include PPP leaders Farooq Naek, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, and Syed Naveed Qamar.

Notable legal experts Barrister Ali Zafar, Barrister Gohar, and Sahibzada Hamid Raza are also part of the committee, while, JUI-F member Kamran Murtaza and MQM-P representative Rana Ansar have been appointed to the committee tasked with the crucial appointment process of Chief Justice of Pakistan.

The constitutional amendment to Article 175A proposes key changes to how judges are appointed, shifting more authority to a 12-member parliamentary committee – comprised of eight members from the National Assembly (NA) and four senators – to appoint the CJP, selecting from among the three most senior judges.