Ijaz Kakakhel Islamabad
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced that it will not participate on Tuesday’s meeting of the Special Parliamentary Committee, constituted to appoint the next Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), refusing to join the process of appointing the next top judge.
The decision, made during a crucial meeting of the former ruling party’s political committee, comes just hours after the National Assembly Secretariat issued a notification that stated that a 12-member Special Parliamentary Committee was formed for the appointment of the next top judge of the country in line with the recently enacted 26th Constitutional Amendment.
The Imran Khan-led party, in a statement, said that members who voted in support of the amendment would face disciplinary action, including the cancellation of their basic party membership. Moreover, the party’s political committee also agreed to issue show-cause notices to the parliamentarians who severed ties with the party, according to the statement.
“We will seek explanations from those who have maintained contacts with the government circles,” the statement noted, adding the party will decide the fate of these members in the light of their explanations. The PTI decided to distance itself from the special committee as the coalition government begins the process of selecting a new CJP ahead of the retirement of the incumbent CJP, Justice Qazi Faez Isa on 25 October.
