The Acting President of Pakistan, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, has approved the appointment of members of the Federal Service Tribunal (FST).
On the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the President of Pakistan approved the appointments of Advocate Bahlul Khattak and retired District & Sessions Judge Chaudhry Abdul Qayyum as members.
In addition to these appointments, Advocate Chaudhry Muhammad Akram Khaksar has also been appointed as a judicial member of the Federal Service Tribunal, as stated in a press release issued by the Press Wing on Saturday.
The Acting President, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, also approved the appointments of Sarwat Tahira Habib and Nadeem Irshad Kiyani as executive members of the Federal Service Tribunal. This is considered the first significant move by the Acting President.
Previously, Yousuf Raza Gilani served as Prime Minister of Pakistan from 2008 to 2012 and also temporarily assumed the role of Acting President in 2009. This unusual situation arose due to a constitutional requirement and specific circumstances involving then-President Asif Ali Zardari.
At that time, President Zardari was traveling abroad, creating a temporary vacancy in the presidency. According to Article 49 of the Pakistani Constitution, when the President is absent or unable to perform their duties, the Chairman of the Senate steps in as Acting President. However, in 2009, the Senate Chairman was also unavailable, which required Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to assume the role temporarily.
