National Assembly Nefers Bill To Increase Number Of Supreme Court Judges

PML-N’s Daniyal Chaudhry seeks to present a bill proposing an increase in the number of Supreme Court judges from 17 to 23.

ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Sept 3rd, 2024) The National Assembly has postponed the consideration of a bill that aimed to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court.

Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq presided over the session, which also saw the introduction of a notice by Naveed Qamar concerning the allocation of 4.8 million acres of land for corporate farming and the diversion of water flow.

In response, Minister for Water Resources, Musadik Malik, explained that under the Green Corporate Initiative, 800,000 acres of barren land have been allocated for agricultural use. He noted that this project, backed by the Punjab and Sindh governments, involves the construction of a 296-kilometer canal, with a budget of 211 billion rupees. Malik assured that Punjab would use its own water resources for the project, without affecting other provinces. However, Naveed Qamar raised concerns, suggesting that Pakistan might not be in a position to undertake such initiatives at this time.

Musadik Malik offered to discuss the matter further, especially regarding concerns from Sindh. He mentioned that one million acres in Balochistan have been earmarked for cultivation, and if Sindh has reservations, they could withdraw their portion of land. Syed Khurshid Shah, highlighting the importance of water resources, proposed the formation of a committee to evaluate water flow downstream of Kotri and determine the water needs for the allocated land. He posed a critical question, asking whether the priority should be the acquisition of land or the preservation of Pakistan’s resources.

Senate Receives Constitutional Amendment Bill on Supreme Court Judges

In a related development, JUI member Noor Alam Khan introduced the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2024 in the National Assembly, aiming to amend Article 184(3) of the Constitution, which governs the Supreme Court’s suo moto powers. The Speaker referred this bill to the Standing Committee for further review.

The proposed amendment requires that public interest cases in the Supreme Court be heard by a bench of at least nine judges. It also allows affected parties to appeal the Supreme Court’s decision within 30 days, with the appeal being heard by a larger bench than the one that issued the original ruling.

Noor Alam Khan argued that Article 184(3) has been misused in the past, leading to undue punishments for political figures through suo moto actions. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar cautioned against adding excessive details to the Constitution, warning that it could lead to complexities.

Noor Alam Khan also put forward another Constitutional Amendment Bill, seeking reserved seats for overseas Pakistanis in the National Assembly, Senate, and Provincial Assemblies. This bill, along with another that proposes a ban on dual citizenship for Supreme Court and High Court judges as well as bureaucrats, was also referred to the Standing Committee. The Law Minister informed the Assembly that the Establishment Division had expressed opposition to the dual citizenship ban, stating that such restrictions do not exist in the military or Parliament.

Additionally, Noor Alam Khan introduced the Contempt of Court Repeal Bill 2024, which was referred to the Standing Committee. The bill proposes either the repeal or amendment of the current Contempt of Court law. Barrister Gohar, opposing the bill, questioned who would enforce judicial orders if the judiciary’s powers were curtailed.

Meanwhile, PML-N’s Daniyal Chaudhry sought to present a bill proposing an increase in the number of Supreme Court judges from 17 to 23. However, Barrister Gohar noted that under Articles 74 and 81 of the Constitution, only the government can introduce such a bill, as it cannot be a private member’s bill. The Speaker halted Chaudhry’s attempt to present the bill and deferred the motion.