LAHORE (Muhammad Ashfaq) – The government and the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) reached a consensus on several key clauses concerning proposed constitutional amendment to be presented in the parliament in the coming days.
Among the agreed points, it was decided not to extend the tenure of the Supreme Court judges. The retirement age for Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) judges will be set at 68 years, while Supreme Court judges will retire at 65.
The proposed amendment also suggested increasing the term of FCC judges by three years.
Furthermore, one of the top three Supreme Court judges will be appointed as the Chief Justice of the FCC.
More to read: SC accepts review on Article 63-A, gives immunity to dissident votes
However, the Pakistan Bar Council raised concern over the government's proposed procedure for appointing judges to the Constitutional Court. The Bar Council rejected the idea of giving the President and Prime Minister full authority in this process.
Instead, they suggested that appointments should be made by a panel consisting of four government representatives, four from the opposition, and one from the PBC.
Besides, the Bar Council opposed the government's proposal to reduce the minimum age for High Court judges to 40 years. The council said that it should remain at 45. The bar council also called for amendments to Article 63A, backing a five-year disqualification for any party member who votes against the party's policy.