Islamabad: Supreme Court Justice Munib Akhtar abruptly left a Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) meeting focused on the new JCP Rules 2024, which detail the process for appointing judges to the superior judiciary. The incident occurred after Justice Akhtar questioned Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan about the progress of proposed legislation on judicial appointments. AGP Awan suggested that Justice Akhtar direct his questions to Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, saying the meeting wasn’t the right forum for such discussions.
In response, Justice Akhtar proposed postponing the meeting to address these concerns but faced disagreement from other members. Unable to resolve the disagreement, he decided to leave the meeting. The session, led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and attended by provincial law ministers and senior judges, continued without him.
Meanwhile, the JCP has requested nominations from the chief justices of the five high courts for additional judges under the 2024 Rules. There has been no official comment on Justice Akhtar’s departure from the meeting.
