Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah have been appointed as members of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), filling two vacant seats representing the treasury benches in Parliament.
The positions became vacant following the recent resignations of PPP Senator Farooq H. Naek and PML-N member Aftab Sheikh.
Bilawal will represent the treasury benches in the National Assembly, while Rana Sanaullah will represent the government in the Senate.
The nominations were made by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who serves as leader of the House in the National Assembly, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, the Senate’s leader of the House.
The appointments were made under Article 175A(2)(vii) of the Constitution.
The Judicial Commission issued a notification confirming the appointments on Friday, with the approval of Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, who also chairs the commission.
The commission’s next meeting is scheduled for October 13, when members will consider extending the term of the constitutional benches of the Sindh High Court.
The JCP is responsible for appointing judges to the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), Supreme Court, high courts and Federal Shariat Court under Article 175A of the Constitution. It is also mandated to evaluate the performance of high court judges.
The composition of the Judicial Commission was revised under the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which amended Article 175A to include four members of Parliament — two from the treasury benches and two from the opposition, with representation from both the National Assembly and the Senate.
The commission comprises the chief justices of the Supreme Court and the Federal Constitutional Court, the next most senior judges of both courts, and two judges from each court jointly nominated by the respective chief justices for a two-year term.
Other members include the federal law minister, the attorney general for Pakistan, and a senior advocate with at least 15 years of practice in the Supreme Court.
The commission also includes parliamentary representatives from the treasury and opposition benches in both the National Assembly and Senate, along with a qualified woman, non-Muslim or technocrat who is not a member of Parliament and meets the eligibility criteria for parliamentary membership.
The latest appointments fill the two vacant parliamentary seats and restore the commission’s representation from the government benches in both Houses of Parliament.
