A bill to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court would be introduced in the National Assembly on Friday, sources within Parliament said on Tuesday.

The number of apex court judges is expected to rise from 17 to 23, including the chief justice of Pakistan.

The government would present the bill, which has already been introduced by Barrister Daniyal Chaudhry during a private members’ day in the august house. Discussions are also ongoing regarding amendments to the Practice and Procedure Act.

Sources added that the National Assembly session has been extended until Friday to facilitate the approval of the bill, which was originally scheduled to conclude today (Tuesday).

In response to a significant backlog of pending cases in the SC, the government appointed two ad-hoc judges in July of this year. Critics, however, have described such a move as an attempt to alter the balance of power within the SC.

On July 26, President Asif Ali Zardari approved the appointment of two ad-hoc judges to the SC. A statement from the presidency confirmed that Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel have been appointed as ad-hoc judges for a one-year term.

Both judges are former members of the SC and the president’s approval for their appointment was made under Article 182 (appointment of ad-hoc judges) of the Constitution.

Earlier in July, the Supreme Judicial Council approved the appointment of Justice Masood and Justice Miankhel as ad-hoc judges.

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Former chief justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa had proposed the names of four retired judges for such positions: Justice (retd) Muneer Alam, Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar, Justice (retd) Mazhar Alam Miankhel, and Justice (retd) Tariq Masood.

But retired justices Muneer Alam and Maqbool Baqar declined the offer to serve as ad-hoc judges. Justice (retd) Baqar cited personal commitments as the reason for his refusal while Justice Alam withdrew due to an ongoing campaign against ad-hoc judges on social media.