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Pakistan Picks Junior Judge as Chief Justice Sparking Protests

The Supreme Court in Islamabad. Photographer: Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images (Aamir Qureshi/Photographer: Aamir Qureshi/AFP/)

(Bloomberg) -- Pakistan’s lawmakers belonging to the ruling alliance picked a junior judge as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, a move which may spark another round of political and legal battle in the country that needs stability.

A 12-member committee of legislators selected Yahya Afridi, who was junior-most among the three nominated judges, with a two-third majority to head the top court for three years, law minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told reporters in Islamabad on Tuesday evening. The lawmakers from ex-premier Imran Khan’s group boycotted the committee meeting saying by-passing the senior justices was illegal.

Khan’s political party has vowed to challenge Afridi’s appointment in the top court while it plans to calls its supporters to take to the streets in protest, a distraction for the government that has to implement structural reforms for economic stability under the International Monetary Fund’s three-year $7 billion loan program. Khan is in jail for past more than a year on charges of corruption and misuse of power when he was the prime minister and has called on his supporters to protest since he was removed from power in April 2022 in a parliamentary vote of confidence.

The appointment came two days after the ruling alliance led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif backed by coalition partners amended the Constitution to curtail the powers of the judiciary to appoint the senior most judge as the chief justice, a practice that was being followed for at least the past 28 years.

Top government leaders have said the move was critical to maintaining a balance between the powers of the parliament and judiciary, which historically has legitimized military rule and overthrown leaders in the South Asian nation. The army has ruled the country for almost half of its time since independence in 1947.

Afridi will take charge on September 26 when Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa retires.

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.