Fawad urges constitutional amendment for new judges’ appointment

Information minister hails Pakistan's pandemic response

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Monday said the parliament should consider a constitutional amendment for the appointment of new judges.

In a tweet, he said that five judges of the Supreme Court were retiring this year.

The minister said that if the parliament could make appointments in Supreme Court free and transparent, it would be a big achievement.

He urged the political parties to shun their differences and join hands for this important amendment.

Fawad also praised the outgoing supreme court chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed for his “historic stand” on minorities’ places of worship.

“At a time when India’s judiciary seems helpless at the hands of extremists, judges like Justice Gulzar supported minorities and ruled independently,” he added.

The statement came a day after Fawad on Sunday urged the judiciary to take stock of its rapidly declining reputation in the world rankings.

The tweet was an apparent reference to a report released last year by the World Justice Project (WJP), according to which Pakistan ranked 130 out of 139 countries on the rule of law index.

Fawad mentioned the question raised by Law and Justice Minister Farogh Naseem that if judges were not responsible for the assets of their wives and children, then how was it possible to hold politicians and bureaucrats accountable?

The minister said that the new chief justice would face this challenge when he would be sworn in.

Justice Gulzar would be retiring today (Tuesday) by leaving behind the legacy of an anti-encroachment drive in the biggest city of the country, Karachi.

He had taken oath as the country’s top judge in December 2019. His tenure was adversely affected on account of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Justice Umar Ata Bandial would take over as the chief justice on February 2.

During his tenure as the CJP, Justice Ahmed took notices of attacks on temples, reprimanding police for failing to prevent them and assured minorities that their rights and places of worship would be protected as long as he served the top judicial office.

Separately, Fawad said a humanitarian crisis was brewing in Afghanistan and the international community should not leave it alone to cope with the difficult times.

“Peace in Afghanistan is crucial for global peace and the world has to take lead for the purpose,” the minister told Japanese ambassador to Pakistan Wada Mitsuhiro, who called on him in the federal capital.

The situation in Afghanistan, and matters pertaining to mutual interest and cooperation in the media sector, including Japanese technical assistance to the Pakistan Television (PTV) and Radio Pakistan, came under discussion during the meeting.

Fawad said former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani did not pay heed to the advice of Prime Minister Imran Khan for an inclusive government in his country instead of holding the election.

He said the economies across the world were affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but Pakistan had dealt with different waves of the virus in an effective manner.