Indian Government Pushes Key Bills on Supreme Court Judge Appointments and Military Chiefs’ 5-Year Term Limits in National Assembly and Senate

Government Pushes Key Bills on Supreme Court Judge Appointments and Military Chiefs’ 5-Year Term Limits in National Assembly and Senate

The National Assembly on Monday passed six bills, including one seeking an increase in the number of Supreme Court judges and another related to the extension of the terms of armed services chiefs, amid deafening protest by the opposition.

The Pakistani government has recently introduced several bills in the National Assembly and Senate, focusing on key issues including the appointment tenure of Supreme Court judges and the extension of armed forces chiefs’ terms. Here’s a breakdown of the proposed changes:

Supreme Court Judges’ Tenure: One bill proposes establishing a fixed tenure for Supreme Court judges. Currently, judges serve until the age of retirement, but a defined term would change the length of service. This move is part of broader judicial reforms aimed at improving consistency in the judiciary.

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Armed Forces Chiefs’ Term: Another significant bill focuses on setting a five-year term for the heads of the military services, including the Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, and Chief of Air Staff. This adjustment is intended to bring stability to leadership in Pakistan’s armed forces and formalise a structured transition process.

Urgency in Passing the Bills: The government has been expediting the passage of these bills, which suggests both a high priority on these matters and a potential urgency to establish clear guidelines for these key positions.

Political Context: These bills come amid debates over judicial independence, military influence, and the balance of powers within Pakistan’s governance structure.

The maximum number of Judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan other than the Chief Justice shall be up to thirty-three, the proposed bill read

Our bar lobbies and the SCBA (Supreme Court Bar Association) have been recommending this for a while now so that the four-bar court registries in Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, and Lahore can relieve their thousands of pending cases. This number has been left open for the judicial commission,” the minister went on to say.