Pakistan’s highest judicial oversight and appointment bodies have been significantly reshaped following the recent enactment of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, leading to the induction of senior judges into new roles, a Supreme Court communiqué confirmed on Tuesday.
The overhaul affects the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), and the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Committee, all of which have been reconstituted under the new legal framework.
In a key development, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, the next most senior judge of the Supreme Court, has been appointed to the Supreme Judicial Council. His nomination was jointly made by the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the Chief Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court, as stipulated under Clause 2(d) of Article 209 of the Constitution.
Simultaneously, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, which oversees the appointment of judges, welcomes a new member. Justice Aamer Farooq, the next most senior judge of the Federal Constitutional Court, was jointly nominated to the JCP by the two chief justices in accordance with Clause 2(iiia) of Article 175A.
Justice Mandokhail has also been selected as a member of the influential committee established under Section 2 of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023, further expanding his role in the apex court’s internal governance.
The Supreme Court’s announcement added that these reformed bodies will continue to perform their crucial functions related to judicial accountability, appointments, and procedural oversight under the amended constitutional scheme.