Islamabad, December 14, 2024: Justice Jamal Mandokhail, chairman of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan’s (JCP) rules-making committee, has responded to Justice Mansoor Ali Shah’s letter, received on December 12. Justice Mandokhail clarified that the JCP, reconstituted after the 26th Constitutional Amendment, authorized the Chief Justice to form a rules-framing committee, which he leads.
Justice Mandokhail stated that the committee has already incorporated Justice Shah’s suggestions into the draft rules and shared the proposal prior to receiving the letter.
Earlier, Justice Shah expressed concerns over the lack of formalized rules for appointing judges, warning of risks to judicial independence due to executive dominance in the JCP post-amendment. He emphasized that Article 175A(4) of the Constitution mandates rules for judicial appointments, without which proceedings would be unconstitutional.