Amid rumours of a judiciary-centric legislation aiming to extend the retirement age of superior courts’ judges, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has asserted that the government is poised to introduce a ‘constitutional amendment’ in the National Assembly today (Saturday) as it has achieved the ‘magic number’.
“We have completed the number game in the lower house of parliament,” he said in an informal conversation with journalists at the parliament’s corridor on Friday. A session of the National Assembly has been summoned, he confirmed.
The defence czar’s remarks came amid reports suggesting that the government is mulling introducing a number of judicial reforms through a ‘constitutional package’, which also includes an extension in the retirement age of top courts’ judges.
Article 179 of the Constitution envisages that a judge of the Supreme Court shall hold office until he attains the age of 65 years unless he sooner resigns or is removed from office under the Constitution.
Article 195 of the Constitution says that a judge of a high court shall hold office until he attains the age of 62 years unless he sooner resigns or is removed from office following the Constitution.
The government intends to increase the retirement age of Supreme Court judges to 68. In the case of high court judges, the retirement age will be increased to 65.
Despite being tight-lipped on the proposed amendments to the Constitution, the incumbent leadership left no stone unturned to secure the numbers required to ensure its passage from parliament.
