Bilawal, Rana Sanaullah get key Judicial Commission roles

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah have been appointed members of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP).

The appointments were made to fill two vacant seats following the resignations of PPP Senator Farooq H. Naek and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) member Aftab Sheikh. Both new members will represent the treasury benches in Parliament.

Bilawal will represent the National Assembly, while Rana Sanaullah will represent the Senate. Their nominations were made by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, who serve as leaders of the House in their respective chambers.

The appointments were made under Article 175A(2)(vii) of the Constitution. The Judicial Commission issued the notification on Friday with the approval of Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, who also heads the commission.

The commission is scheduled to meet on October 13. One of the key matters on its agenda is a proposal to extend the tenure of the constitutional benches of the Sindh High Court.

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan plays a central role in the appointment of judges to the Federal Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, high courts and Federal Shariat Court. It is also responsible for evaluating the performance of high court judges.

The commission’s composition was changed under the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which introduced parliamentary representation from both treasury and opposition benches. The revised structure includes four members of Parliament, with two representatives each from the National Assembly and Senate. The arrangement provides representation to both the government and opposition in the judicial appointment process.

Other members include the chief justices of the Supreme Court and Federal Constitutional Court, senior judges from both courts, and judges nominated by the respective chief justices for two-year terms.

The commission also includes the federal law minister, the attorney general for Pakistan and a senior advocate with at least 15 years of experience in the Supreme Court. Its membership further includes parliamentary representatives from the treasury and opposition benches, along with a qualified woman, non-Muslim or technocrat who is not a member of Parliament.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Rana Sanaullah’s appointments add two political representatives from the treasury benches to the commission as it prepares to consider important judicial matters at its upcoming meeting.