–Appointments in LJCP made in view of recommendations of Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar
ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet approved the appointment of four members in the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) for three years with immediate effect following the recommendations of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar, sources said on Tuesday.
Sources familiar with the development told Pakistan Today that the cabinet, in its Dec 6 meeting, had considered a summary submitted on Nov 28 regarding the appointment of LJCP members, other than the ex-officio members, and approved the appointments.
Names of the new appointees included Justice Mian Sjairullah Jan, former judge, Supreme Court (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Justice Sair Ali, former judge, Supreme Court (Punjab), Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, former judge, Supreme Court (Sindh), and Syed Ayaz Zahoor, advocate Supreme Court (Balochistan), sources added.
The LJCP chairman and CJP had recommended four names for the appointments, sources said, adding the cabinet was informed that the same should be appointed in pursuance of the section 3 of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan Ordinance, 1979.
Holders of a judicial or administrative office, eminent lawyers or jurists, persons of repute and integrity from the civil society, members of the Council of Islamic Ideology or people who teach law in a university or college can be LJCP members, the cabinet was further told in the recommendation. The term of previous four members, other than the ex-officio, had expired on June 14, 2018.
Sources said the cabinet was informed that it is competent to perform the functions entrusted to the federal government under any law in terms of judgement of the Supreme Court in Mustafa Impex case (PLD 2016 SC 808). Similarly, the Law and Justice Division requested the cabinet to appoint these persons as members of the LJCP for a period of three years with immediate effect under sub-section (g) of section 3 of the ordinance.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Law & Justice Commission of Pakistan is a federal government institution, headed by the chief justice of Pakistan, comprises other members including the chief justice of Federal Shariat Court, chief justices of the high courts, attorney general for Pakistan (AGP), Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights secretary and the chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women.
The commission comprises four other members, one from each province, appointed by the federal government, on the recommendation of the chairman, in consultation with the chief justice.
At present, ex-officio members of the LJCP are AGP Anwar Mansoor Khan, Sheikh Najamul Hassan, Chief Justice, Federal Shariat Court, Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh, Hon’ble Chief Justice, High Court of Sindh, Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth, Hon’ble Chief Justice, Peshawar High Court, Justice Syeda Tahira Safdar, Hon’ble Chief Justice, High Court of Balochistan, Justice Muhammad Anwaarul Haq, Hon’ble Chief Justice, Lahore High Court, Justice Athar Minallah, Hon’ble Chief Justice, Islamabad High Court, Justice (r) Abdul Shakoor Paracha, Secretary, Ministry of Law & Justice, Khawar Mumtaz, Chairperson, National Commission on Status of Women.
