ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi has constituted a five-member committee for drafting rules to regulate procedure and criteria for the appointment of judges, the Supreme Court of Pakistan said on Friday.
The development came after Chief Justice Afridi presided over meetings of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan to consider constitution of the committee to draft rules for judges’ appointment, nomination of Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan as eighth judge of the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, and the appointment of additional judges in Sindh and Peshawar high courts.
The committee to draft rules will be led by Supreme Court judge, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, and comprise Attorney-General of Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan, Senators Ali Zafar and Farooq H. Naek, and lawyer Akhtar Hussain, according to a Supreme Court statement. The panel will draft rules and share them with the Judicial Commission of Pakistan secretariat by December 15.
“The Judicial Commission of Pakistan unanimously decided to accord highest priority toward framing of rules relating to regulating its procedure including the procedure and criteria for assessment, evaluation and fitness for appointment of Judges,” the Supreme Court of Pakistan said in a statement.
The commission also approved the nomination of Justice Hassan, a judge of the Supreme Court, for the constitutional bench of the apex court.
In its maiden session on Nov. 5, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, reconstituted under the 26th constitutional amendment, appointed Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan as head of the seven-judge constitutional bench to take up constitutional cases. The bench includes Justices Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Ayesha Malik, Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Musarrat Hilali and Naeem Akhtar Afghan, and high-profile cases with political implications will now be brought before it to adjudicate such matters.
The Judicial Commission of Pakistan nominated Justices Adnan-ul-Karim Memon and Agha Faisal as judges of constitutional benches of the Sindh High Court by a majority vote, according to the Supreme Court statement. The agenda for appointment of additional judges to the Sindh and Peshawar high courts was deferred till December 21.
Pakistan forms five-member panel to draft rules for appointment of judges
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Pakistan forms five-member panel to draft rules for appointment of judges
- The committee will comprise Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Attorney-General Mansoor Usman Awan, Senators Ali Zafar and Farooq H. Naek, and Akhtar Hussain
- The Judicial Commission of Pakistan says it accords highest priority to procedure and criteria for assessment, evaluation and fitness for appointment of judges
Pakistan sends 7.5 tons of additional relief supplies to Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah devastation
- Pakistan dispatches tents, tarpaulins, powdered milk aboard commercial flight from Lahore
- Pakistan Army, Navy and rescue teams are already operating in Sri Lankan disaster-hit zones
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday dispatched an additional 7.5 tons of humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka following widespread destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in a statement.
More than two million people, nearly 10 percent of the population, have been affected by last week’s climate crisis-spurred floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century. Over 618 people have been killed.
Sri Lanka has issued a formal international appeal for emergency assistance, with Islamabad stepping up support on the direction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Monday’s relief consignment, including tents, tarpaulins and powdered milk, was flown to Colombo from Lahore on a commercial aircraft.
“NDMA has coordinated with airlines to ensure that all available cargo space on commercial flights is fully utilized for the rapid transport of relief items,” the disaster agency said. “This mechanism will continue in the coming days to dispatch further assistance as required.”
Pakistan has been supporting relief operations since the onset of the disaster. A Pakistan Army search-and-rescue team is currently operating in affected regions, backed by Pakistan Navy ships and helicopters assisting local authorities with evacuations and life-saving missions.
NDMA said Pakistan “stands firmly with the people of Sri Lanka in this difficult hour and will continue to extend all possible assistance to support ongoing rescue and relief efforts.”
The International Monetary Fund said on Friday Sri Lanka had requested financial assistance of about $200 million to address the destruction caused by the cyclone.
