ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court (SC) asked the government on Tuesday to clarify its stance over the role and status of the Parliamentary Committee (PC) vis-a-vis Article 68 of the constitution. “Can eight parliamentarians discuss the conduct of judges when the entire parliament is barred from doing so under Article 68 of the constitution?” questioned Justice Jawwad S Khawaja during arguments of Additional Attorney General KK Agha in the government’s review petition against a SC verdict in the case of the appointment of six high court additional judges.
The larger bench headed by Justice Mahmood Akhtar Shahid Siddiqui and comprising Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez resumed the hearing of the maintainability of the review petition. Agha said that before delivering the verdict, the SC had not heard 25 petitioners, four advocate generals and the attorney general in the issue of the judges’ appointment. He stated that all of them should be heard before announcing the verdict.
The apex court, in its detailed judgement on March 21, had told the government to issue a notification endorsing the extension of the services of six judges (four of the Lahore High Court and two of the Sindh High Court) in line with the recommendations made by the Judicial Commission in its meetings.
