JCP Sub-Committee Rejects Proposal for Judge Nomination Criteria

ISLAMABAD: The sub-committee of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has, by a majority, turned down a suggestion to formulate explicit standards for nominating justices to constitutional benches, according to reports.

The five-member sub-committee, led by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, convened at the Supreme Court to deliberate on the issue.

Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan and Senator Farooq H Naek expressed disagreement with the concept, while Senator Barrister Ali Zafar, representing the opposition, strongly supported the establishment of such criteria to govern the discretion of JCP members.

Ahsen Bhoon, the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) representative, sided with the majority, asserting that Article 191A of the Constitution exclusively authorizes the JCP to create regulations for the selection of judges to constitutional benches.

He indicated that the sub-committee had consequently sent the matter back to the JCP.

The formation of the sub-committee followed Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi’s establishment of a comprehensive committee on June 19, 2025, in his capacity as JCP chairman, to draft guidelines for the annual assessment of high court judges’ performance.

The committee was also charged with creating standards for nominations to the constitutional benches, which were established under the 26th Amendment.

However, due to the majority’s opposition to developing such criteria, the issue is now back in the hands of the JCP for further deliberation.