President Zardari increases number of PHC judges

ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, President Asif Ali Zardari has increased the number of judges of the Peshawar High Court (PHC), ARY News reported.

The Ministry of Law and Justice has issued the notification for an increase in the number judges of the PHC from 20 to 30

According to the notification  the president has increased the number of PHC judges, including chief justice, in exercise the power conferred by Article 192 of the Constitution.

The moves comes a day after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) lawmaker Daniyal Chaudhry introduced ‘The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2024’ to increase the number of apex court’s judges from 17 to 23, in the National Assembly.

According to “The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) (Amendment) Bill, 2024”, the total number of judges, including the Chief Justice, will increase from 17 to 23.

The bill seeks amendment in the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1997.

Currently, the number of judges in the apex court is 16 other than the Chief Justice.

The government did not raise any objections to the bill.

However, opposition leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai opposed the bill and pointed out a quorum issue in the assembly.

The bill was referred to the relevant standing committee for consideration.