ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) senior leader Shibli Faraz has resigned as a member of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), just a day has not passed as his party member, Omar Ayub, also quit the post.
PTI’s Senator Faraz has given name of Senator Barrister Ali Zafar as his replacement on the 13-member official body, in line with the orders of the PTI founding chairman Imran Khan.
Faraz was nominated along with four other members of Parliament from both the upper and lower houses a month ago. This was after the reconstitution of the forum following the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
The official body is chaired by the chief justice of Pakistan and comprise of two senators, two MNAs, three senior-most judges of the Supreme Court, the most senior judge of the constitutional bench. It has also the federal minister for law, the attorney general of Pakistan, an advocate not having experience of less than 15 years of practice in the Supreme Court, and should be nominated by the Pakistan Bar Council for two years.
The JCP is given the task of appointing judges of the Supreme Court, high courts, and Federal Shariat Court as well as monitoring the performance of high court judges and preparing their yearly working evaluations.
Earlier, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub had also, a day before, tendered his resignation to NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq saying that he would not work as a member due to several FIRs and legal cases newly filed against him.
The senior politician in his resignation, nominated PTI Chairman and member of NA Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, to take his place in the commission.
“I am writing to formally file my resignation as a member of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan. This choice has been made after careful conclusion and is necessitated by the multitude of FIRs and legal cases registered against me, which need my immediate and undivided attention”, says Ayub.
“The fresh legal challenges block my ability to serve at the Commission effectively, and I believe it is in the best interest of the institution to permit someone with a clear focus to assume this significant role,” on Tuesday, he wrote in his resignation.
Omar stated with confidence that Barrister Gohar would be a important asset to the commission because of his legal background, acumen, integrity, and dedication.
The opposition leader has found himself embroiled in a number of cases filed under alleged terrorism, violent protests and other charges, linked to PTI’s legal battles against the government.