Pakistan passes amendment empowering parliament to pick top judge

The Supreme Court’s chief justice will now be selected by a parliamentary committee and have a fixed term of three years.

Pakistan’s government has approved new constitutional amendments to give legislators more power in appointing the top judge – a move seen as sidelining the courts that have allegedly favoured jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill was passed early on Monday in what marked the culmination of months of negotiations followed by an hours-long overnight session of the National Assembly, as the lower house of parliament is known in the country.

The amendment says the Supreme Court’s chief justice will now be selected by a parliamentary committee and have a fixed term of three years.

Since the general elections in February this year were marred by rigging allegations, relations have soured between the government and the top court as multiple court rulings have backed Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

The amendment came just days before Supreme Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa is due to retire. Under the previous law, Isa would have been replaced by the next most senior judge, Mansoor Ali Shah, who has consistently issued verdicts deemed favourable to Khan and the PTI.

New groups of senior judges will also be created to weigh exclusively on constitutional issues – an issue that was at the core of recent disputes between the government and the PTI in the Supreme Court.

As the bill passed in a predawn sitting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said it was “a historic day… affirming the supremacy of Parliament”.

“Today’s amendment, the 26th, is not just an amendment, but an example of national solidarity and consensus. A new sun will rise, emanating across