Govt mulls extending Chief Justice’s tenure

ISLAMABAD: The federal government is considering to consolidate the tenure of Chief Justice of Pakistan for three years as CJP Qazi Faez Isa is set to retire on Oct 25, 2024, ARY News reported on Saturday, citing sources.

Sources told ARY News that the government would introduce amendments in the Constitution if a firm decision is taken to consolidate Chief Justice of Pakistan’s tenure for three years.

Sources added that a committee, constituted in this regard, has started preparations for the constitutional amendment. A decision in this regard will be made following the Seante elections.

According to the Constitution, the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) and each of the other Judges of the Supreme Court shall be appointment by the President in accordance with Article 175A.

Article 179 of Constitution of Pakistan stated: “A judge of the Supreme Court shall hold office until he attains the age of sixty five years, unless he sooner resigns or is removed from office in accordance with the Constitution”.

Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has denied reports of consolidating chief justice’s tenure, saying that the government isn’t considering extending the tenure of the Chief Justice.

It is pertinent to mention here that Justice Ijazul Ahsan, the third senior-most judge in the Supreme Court who was destined to become the next chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) in Oct this year, resigned after his colleague Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi stepped down following allegations of misconduct.

The abrupt resignation will benefit the next senior judge, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, since he will become the next chief justice soon after the retirement of CJP Isa on Oct 25, 2024. Otherwise, Justice Shah was expected to hold the coveted office from Aug 3, 2025.

Justice Shah also replaced Justice Ahsan on the Supreme Judicial Council, as well as the three-member special committee in charge of bench formation.