National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq wrote a letter and submitted nominations from parliamentary parties to the Supreme Judicial Council on the issue of formation of Judicial Commission for appointment of judges of higher judiciary.

The nominations were made after consultations with the Senate president and parliamentary leaders.

Sadiq’s nominations include members of both the National Assembly and the Senate. PTI’s Omar Ayub and PML-N’s Sheikh Aftab will represent the National Assembly, while Senators Farooq Naik and Shibli Faraz have been chosen to represent the Senate.

Additionally, Roshan Khursheed Bharucha has been nominated for the women’s seat on the commission.

These nominations, sent to the secretary of the Judicial Commission, come after the passage of the 26th Amendment, which allows five members of parliament to join the Judicial Commission, with equal representation from the government and the opposition. The commission is authorized to appoint judges to the Supreme Court, high courts and the Federal Shariat Court.

The Supreme Court has confirmed the receipt of the nominations.

A spokesperson for the National Assembly said President Ayaz Sadiq sent the names to the council after consulting with the Senate president and all parliamentary parties.

Sources reveal that the government and the opposition had finalized their nominations for the Judicial Commission after the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ayaz Sadiq, wrote to the leaders of the parliamentary parties to nominate their members. The opposition members nominated by the National Assembly and the Senate were approved by PTI founder Imran Khan.

A recent amendment to Article 175-A has expanded the commission to a 13-member body, including the Chief Justice, the three senior judges of the Supreme Court, the senior judge of the constitutional courts, the minister of Justice, the attorney general of Pakistan, a candidate from the Pakistan Bar Council, two members of the National Assembly and two members each of the Senate, and a minority representative or a woman outside parliament.

According to Article 175-A, the commission will appoint by majority vote one candidate for each vacancy of a judge of the Supreme Court, a high court or the Federal Shariat Court. The candidate will then be referred to the prime minister, who will recommend him to the president for final appointment.

Additionally, the commission will evaluate the annual performance of high court judges. If a judge’s performance is deemed inadequate, the commission can give time to improve. If, after this period, performance remains unsatisfactory, the commission will report the matter to the Supreme Judicial Council, which deals with cases of judicial misconduct.

Amendment 26 also gives the commission authority to set performance evaluation standards, and one-third of the commission’s members can request a meeting by submitting a written request to the president, who must then call the meeting within 15 days.