President Asif Ali Zardari has signed into law a controversial bill that empowers the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to appoint retired high court judges to serve on election tribunals.

“After the amendment, in case of appointment of a serving judge in the election tribunal, the chief justice of the concerned high court will be consulted,” a statement from the President’s House said.

This legislation, known as the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was passed by both the National Assembly and Senate despite strong opposition.

The new law removes the requirement for the ECP to consult chief justices of the relevant high courts when appointing retired judges to these election dispute settlement bodies.

The government justified the change by citing the heavy workload and pending cases facing high courts, making it difficult for serving judges to dedicate the necessary time to swiftly adjudicate election petitions. The statement of objectives states that this amendment restores the original provision that allowed retired high court judges to serve on election tribunals.