Composition of JC completed, Dr Ranjha nominated as its member

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) on Thursday nominated Dr Khalid Ranjha as member of Judicial Commission for a period of two years which also completed composition of the body.

A meeting of the PCB executive body was held here which discussed probable names for making nomination and after deliberation Dr Khalid Ranjha was nominated with 11 members supporting him.

The name of Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim was also proposed but only seven members supported his nomination.

The PBC meeting was held with vice president Kazim Khan in chair and attended by 18 members out of 22.

Dr Khalid Ranjha has served as a law minister and enjoyed good reputation among the legal community.

The nomination was made under Article 175A inserted in the Constitution through 18th Amendment and envisaging setting up a Judicial Commission for appointment of judges of superior courts.

According to provision, there will be seven members of the Judicial Commission, including the Chief Justice of Pakistan as chairman, two most senior judges of the apex Court, a retired judge of the apex Court, attorney general, the law minister and senior representative of the Pakistan Bar Council.

The Judicial Commission headed by the Chief Justice had already nominated Justice retired Ali Hussain Qazlibash.

On October 25, the Chief Justice held consultation with Justice Javed Iqbal and Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, the two senior most Judges of the Supreme Court, and made the nomination of members of Judicial Commission.

On October 21, the Supreme Court 17-member larger bench in its decision on a number of identical constitutional petitions on certain provisions of the 18th Amendment had held that all cases of fresh appointment of judges would be processed forthwith under Article 175A, a newly method of appointment of judges of superior judiciary inserted through the Amendment.

The bench observed in its order that all cases of fresh appointments of the Judges of the Supreme Court, Federal Shariat Court, of the High Courts and additional judges of the latter Courts shall be processed forthwith under Article 175A.