The Defence Minister Khawaja Asif introduced the bills, which aim to align tenure regulations across the military services, allowing for appointments and extensions based on national security needs
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has initiated talks with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) to discuss recent parliamentary amendments that propose increasing the number of judges in the higher courts and extending the tenures of military service chiefs. A high-level delegation from PTI, led by Chairman Barrister Gohar, is set to meet JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman today at his residence to strategize on these legislative changes.
This outreach follows the Acting President Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani’s recent approval of several key bills that modify existing laws concerning the armed forces and judiciary. Notably, the amendments extend the terms of chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force from three years to five years, a decision made amidst considerable political tension. The National Assembly and Senate passed the bills with majority votes, forwarding them for official gazette notification.
The legislative amendments received particular attention due to the context in which they were passed. The Defence Minister Khawaja Asif introduced the bills, which aim to align tenure regulations across the military services, allowing for appointments and extensions based on national security needs. This change includes the removal of previous age limits for military leaders, thus enabling the Chief of Army Staff and other senior military figures to serve beyond the previously stipulated retirement age of 64 if required.
Alongside military tenure extensions, the proposals include a significant increase in the number of judges in both the Supreme Court and Islamabad High Court. The Supreme Court Number of Judges (Amendment) Bill 2024 suggests raising the number of Supreme Court judges from 17 to 34, while the Islamabad High Court Amendment Bill 2024 proposes increasing judges from nine to twelve.
