The gazette notification for the 26th Constitutional Amendment was issued.on Monday following President Asif Ali Zardari’s signing of the bill, approved by parliament last night.
According to details, the National Assembly issued the gazette notification, officially making the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill 2024 an Act of Parliament. With the issuance of the gazette, the amendment is now in effect.
The first major step following the amendment will be the formation of a special parliamentary committee tasked with appointing the new Chief Justice of Pakistan. The appointment process will be conducted under Article 175A, Clause 3, of the Constitution.
According to the procedure, the Chief Justice of Pakistan will send the names of three senior judges to the parliamentary committee. From these three, the committee will select one judge for the appointment. The committee’s decision will then be forwarded to the Prime Minister, who will advise the President to make the final appointment.
The special parliamentary committee will consist of 12 members, with 8 from the National Assembly and 4 from the Senate, as outlined in Article 175A, Clause 3A. Additionally, the Chief Justice will submit a panel of three senior judges to the committee three days before his retirement, in accordance with Article 175A, Clause 3C.
It is worth noting that both the Senate and National Assembly passed the 26th Constitutional Amendment with a majority vote yesterday.
