Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar has defended the appointment of ad-hoc judges to the Supreme Court, stating that the Constitution allows for such appointments.

Speaking on Spot Light on Aaj News on Thurssday, Tarar clarified that the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, not Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, will be responsible for making these appointments.

Tarar further explained that the Judicial Commission, which includes five senior Supreme Court judges, a retired judge (Justice Manzoor Malik), representatives from the Pakistan Bar Council, the Law Minister, and the Attorney General, will appoint these judges to address the backlog of cases and complete the required number of judges in the Supreme Court.

The minister emphasized that the current number of Supreme Court judges (17) is insufficient and that the appointment of four ad-hoc judges will fill this gap.

He expressed confusion about the ongoing debate surrounding the issue, particularly considering that Justice Musarrat Hilali, who was previously on leave for medical reasons, is now available.

Justice (r) Maqbool Baqir declines ad hoc judge appointment

PTI, SIC hold joint meeting, vow to challenge SC’s ad-hoc judge appointments

Judicial Commission to consider appointment of 4 ad hoc judges

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar has announced his intention to approach the Supreme Judicial Council regarding the appointment of ad-hoc judges.

He added that he considers the appointment of four ad-hoc judges for a period of three years during the vacation period to be “motivated by malice.”

Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa has scheduled a meeting of the Judicial Commission on July 19th to discuss the appointment of ad-hoc judges.

The Chief Justice has proposed four retired judges, including Justice (Retd) Mishir Alam, Justice (Retd) Maqbool Baqir, Justice (Retd) Mazhar Alam Miankhel, and Justice (Retd) Tariq Masood, for these positions.