The federal government has decided to postpone the legislative process concerning the increase in the number of Supreme Court judges and amending the Practice and Procedure Act until next week, sources said on Thursday.

Earlier, the ruling coalition planned to present the aforementioned bill in the National Assembly on Friday. But the legislative process related to judges has been deferred for a few days.

Further consultations would take place regarding new legislation related to the higher judiciary, they added.

The government intends to bring JUI-F Chairman Maulana Fazlur Rehman on board before presenting the 27th constitutional amendment or any bill related to the judiciary.

On Wednesday, JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghauri stated that if the number of judges was insufficient and the government believed it should be increased, attention should first be given to the number of judges in the high courts.

He was of the view that if the goal was to provide relief to the people, the government should prioritise filling the vacancies in the high courts before addressing the situation at the federal level.

Ghauri pointed out that the government’s intentions must be “scrutinised—whether it seeks relief for itself or for the people.” He stressed that the government’s motives behind any constitutional amendment must be genuinely focused on public welfare.

In the National Assembly meeting scheduled for Friday, the bill concerning the number of judges is not included in the agenda.

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According to the ongoing six-point agenda for the National Assembly session set to take place at 11am, an amendment to the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 would be presented, with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi set to introduce the changes.

Moreover, a notice of attention regarding several members of the National Assembly being placed on the exit control list is also part of the agenda. There is also a notice addressing the exclusion of new degree courses from the Benazir Income Support Program funding.

The agenda includes a question-and-answer session, and a motion of thanks for the president’s address to the joint session of both houses is also on the agenda.

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.

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.