Fazlur Rehman congratulates PM Shehbaz over passage of SC bill

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to discuss the current political situation in the country.

The meeting was held against the backdrop of the recent passage of the Supreme Court (Practice & Procedure) Bill 2023 by Parliament, which aimed to restructure the suo motu powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP).

The JUI-F chief called on Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister's House on Thursday. Fazl congratulated him on the successful passage of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill in Parliament.

During the meeting, Fazl assured the Prime Minister of full cooperation from allies.

Additionally, the Prime Minister himself lauded the passage of the Supreme Court (Practice & Procedure) Bill 2023. Taking to Twitter, he expressed his confidence that the bill would strengthen the apex court institutionally. 

It [the bill] would also make the process of bench formation and exercise of Article 184 (3) transparent and inclusive, ultimately serving the cause of justice, he stressed.

Supreme Court (Practice & Procedure) Bill 2023 passed

The bill was moved by the government after two Supreme Court judges — Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail — raised questions over the powers of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), saying the apex court “cannot be dependent on the solitary decision of one man, the Chief Justice”.

The bill aimed at restricting the chief justice of Pakistan’s discretionary powers to take suo motu notice sailed through the Senate on Thursday. The bill was passed hours after National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice gave its consent.

The bill was moved in the Senate after it was approved by the National Assembly a day earlier. At least 60 senators approved the bill while 19 lawmakers voted against it.

Before the final vote on the bill, a motion was presented to send the bill to the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice for further debate but it was rejected. The motion for the urgent approval of the bill was then presented which was accepted by a majority of lawmakers.

After the bill was tabled before the Upper House, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar explained that the proposed law is providing the right to appeal in suo motu cases and to appoint a different lawyer in the appeals.