ISLAMABAD, July 19 (NNI): Leader of Opposition in Senate Shibli Faraz has urged Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who also heads the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, to reject appointment of ad hoc judges in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senator said that the “appointment of ad hoc judges gives the impression that all this is being done for a party. It should not be seen as an attempt to balance opinion against one party in the judiciary. After appointment of permanent judges, ad-hoc judges cannot be appointed on flimsy ground of clearing backlog of pending cases.”
Senator Faraz wrote that the proposal to appoint ad hoc judges came the day the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the PTI by 8-5.
No transparent procedure has been adopted for the selection of ad hoc judges, he added. He wrote that the judges were selected without consulting the Judicial Commission which raised doubt about the whole process.
“Justice (Retd) Maqbool Baqir remained an important office holder in the caretaker setup. Similarly, Justice (Retd) Tariq Masood prolonged the case of 10 PTI supporters who were in custody of military. Justice (Retd) Mazhar Miankhel gave remarks on the issue of invoking Article 6 against the PTI leaders,” wrote the PTI senator.
“The military trial of the civilians, the February 8 election case and the recent ban on the PTI are pending before the Supreme Court. In such a situation, serious and legitimate concerns arise by the appointment of retired judges,” stated Senator Faraz in his letter.
He said that in the short tenure of the Chief Justice, the number of pending cases would not be reduced considerably. The issue should be left to the incoming Chief Justice, he continued.
Senator Shibli Faraz wrote that “there should be no doubts in the appointment of ad hoc judges. The judiciary should be independent. I am representing the public, the Pakistan Bar Council and the various bar councils. The appointment of ad-hoc judges gives the impression of meddling in the affairs of judiciary.”
When Qazi Faez Isa was a member of the Judicial Council, he always insisted on transparency in the appointment of judges, the PTI senator concluded. NNI
