ISLAMABAD – Acting President Yusuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday approved all six bills, including related to extension in tenure of services chiefs, into law after they were approved by the parliament.
The acting president has signed the Supreme Court Number of Judges (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Islamabad High Court (Amendment) bill, 2024,“The Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2024”, “The Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) Bill, 2024” and “The Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill, 2024”.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar tabled bill in National Assembly proposing an increase in the number of judges in the Supreme Court to 34. During his speech, minister emphasized that this amendment is essential for forming constitutional benches after the 26th amendment and for clearing pending cases efficiently.
He further noted that Court Bar Association (SCBA) and other legal advocates have long recommended this change to help manage the thousands of unresolved cases in the bar court registries located in Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, and Lahore.
Tarar also mentioned that exact number of judges would be left open for determination by the judicial commission. After presentation, the assembly moved to vote on the bill, but the process was marred by noisy protests from the opposition, reflecting the contentious atmosphere surrounding the proposal.
Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Amendment Ordinance makes changes to Section Two of Act Seventeen, requiring that all cases be assigned to a designated bench under the supervision of the Chief Justice.
Later, these bills were tabled in Senate, which has approved them.
