Islamabad, Oct. 23 (EFE).- Pakistan’s president on Wednesday appointed Justice Yahya Afridi as the new chief justice of the Supreme Court following the approval by the country’s parliament of a highly-debated constitutional amendment on judicial reforms.
Pakistan’s incumbent chief justice, Qazi Faez Isa, is set to retire on Friday.
Under the newly passed amendment, a 12-member special parliamentary committee comprising members from government and opposition had to name the new chief justice from the top three senior-most judges.
After the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, of former jailed prime minister Imran Khan, boycotted the committee meeting, a 10-member committee picked Justice Yahya Afridi as the new top judge of the Supreme Court late Tuesday.
The three judges considered for the key post included Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Yahya Afridi.
On Wednesday, a notification issued by the ministry of law and justice stated that Justice Afridi has been appointed by the president.
“The President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is pleased to appoint Hon’ble Mr. Justice Yahya Afridi, Judge of Supreme Court, as Chief Justice of Pakistan, for a term of three years with effect from 26-10-2024,” the notification read.
The constitutional amendment passed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government has generated a heated debate in the country, with opposition parties and prominent lawyers alleging the new law aims to curtail the independence of the judiciary.
The government rejects the allegations, saying the amendment is aimed at empowering the country’s parliament and providing speedy justice to the people by allowing the establishment of constitutional benches, among other changes.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Tuesday that he was “concerned that latest constitutional amendments – adopted hastily, without broad consultation and debate – will seriously undermine independence of the judiciary,” a statement by his office said.
“Constitutional reforms must be in line with international human rights law,” he added.
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) described the 26th constitutional amendment as a blow to judicial independence, the rule of law, and human rights protection.
“These changes bring an extraordinary level of political influence over the process of judicial appointments and the judiciary’s own administration,” ICJ’s Secretary General Santiago Canton said in a statement on Monday after the approval of the amendment.
PTI claims that, among other objectives, the amendment was also aimed at blocking the way of the senior-most Supreme Court judge, Mansoor Ali Shah, to be the next chief justice.
Justice Shah has been lately issuing judgements providing some relief to PTI which is facing a prolonged government crackdown at the behest of the military establishment, analysts say.
Khan, currently in jail, is also fighting nearly 200 legal cases against him which his party claims are politically motivated.
His wife, Bushra Bibi, and two of his sisters are also imprisoned along with several of his other party members. EFE
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