ISLAMABAD: The committee constituted to review the Judicial Commission of Pakistan Rules, 2010, has proposed amendments to the JCP Rules.

The committee meeting was held on 16th December 2023, under the co-chairmanship of Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and retired Justice Manzoor Ahmed Malik, with the mandate to propose such rules of procedure for the Commission in making appointments of the judges of the constitutional courts of the country, that comply with the collegial and inclusive decision-making process enshrined in Article 175-A of the Constitution.

The important areas of consideration for proposing amendments in the 2010 Rules include the process for convening meetings of the Commission and making decisions therein; initiation of nomination(s) in the Supreme Court; initiation of nomination(s) in the High Courts; adequate representation of the District Judiciary and the Bar for elevation; diversity; criteria for selection for appointment of Judges to the Supreme Court and the High Courts; confirmation of Additional Judges in the High Courts; and establishment of a Secretariat of the Commission, appointment of the Secretary and other staff thereto.

Reviewing JCP rules: Panel holds deliberations

The co-chairs empowered “co-opt any person to the Committee” decided in the meeting on 16th December 2023 to co-opt the following persons to the Committee to ensure adequate representation of females and the District Judiciary, as well as adding a public sector governance expert, to send in their proposals/ recommendations to the Committee:

Justice Ayesha A Malik, judge Supreme Court; Justice Musarrat Hilali, judge Supreme Court; Justice Kausar Sultana Hussain, judge Sindh High Court; Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, judge Islamabad High Court; retired nJustice Syeda Tahira Safdar, former chief justice High Court of Balochistan; Mahrukh Aziz, district and sessions judge (retired) Punjab; Hayat Ali Shah, district and sessions judge (retired) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa; Imdad Hussain Khoso, District and Sessions Judge (retired),Sindh; Rashid Mehmood, District and Sessions Judge (retired), Balochistan; Hina Jilani, advocate Supreme Court; Reema Omer, legal advisor International Commission of Jurists; and Rafiullah Kakar, public sector governance expert.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023