A teleconference hosted by PM Sharif and attended by Nawaz Sharif, Asif Zardari, and Maulana Fazlur Rehman closed ranks over the substance and direction of the measures needed to resolve the current judicial crisis.
By Naveed Naqvi
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made the best of his weekly respite from the daily grind on Sunday by holding a conference call with the top guns of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the broad-based political coalition that installed him in power a year ago.
Official sources confirm the call was joined by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, former president Asif Ali Zardari, and PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rahman.
The conversation focused on the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and the amendments to the Constitution and law related to the Judicial Commission. The virtual conclave agreed to give Farooq H. Naik the go-ahead to develop his proposals to empower the parliamentary committee.
The four PDM stalwarts agreed to ensure the supremacy of the Parliament, and held threadbare discussions regarding the appointment of judges to the higher judiciary. They also deliberated over the legal and constitutional amendments requisite to troubleshoot the functioning of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).
The PDM leaders also emphasised the need to strengthen the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Judges instead of using it as a post office. The leaders agreed to take forward Farooq Naik’s proposals to empower the Parliamentary Committee.
The meeting agreed that judges should be appointed to the Supreme Court through the Judges Committee of the Parliament. The participants also agreed on amendments to the Contempt of Court Act.
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