Islamabad, Nov 14 Justice Aminuddin Khan took oath as the first Chief Justice of Pakistan's newly-established Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Friday, a day after Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari signed the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill into a law.
Zardari administered oath to Justice Khan as Chief Justice of FCC at Aiwan e Sadr, the official residence of Pakistan's President. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and Supreme Court Chief Justice Yahya Afridi were also present during the ceremony.
Khan's appointment was made by Zardari on Thursday under Clause 3 of Article 175A, read with Article 175C, of the Constitution, adding that it would take effect from the date of Justice Aminuddin’s swearing-in ceremony, Pakistan's leading daily Dawn reported.
The proposal to create the FCC has been revived as part of the judicial reform included in in the 27th Constitutional Amendment. The government officials stated that FCC is established to reduce the workload of Supreme Court and ensure timely judgement of constitutional cases and bolstering judicial independence and credibility.
Zardari appointed six judges to the FCC - Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Aamer Farooq, Justice Ali Baqar Najafi of the Supreme Court, Justice KK Agha of the Sindh High Court and Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Rozi Khan Barrech and Justice (retd) Arshad Hussain Shah.
On Thursday, Pakistan's Senate passed the 27th Constitutional Amendment bill after a second round of voting amid opposition's protest. The clauses of the amendment were already approved with two-thirds majority.
The bill, previously passed by the National Assembly on Wednesday, comprises 56 clauses and was presented in the Senate in the same form. JUI-F members remained present in the House, while defected senators Saifullah Abro and Ahmad Khan from PTI and JUI-F participated the session to cast their votes, Pakistan-based The Express Tribune reported.
Initially, the bill was presented in the Senate for voting on Monday and passed the same day. The bill was then referred to the National Assembly, which passed it on Wednesday with some amendments. The proposed legislation was again presented in the senate on Thursday to consider the changes.
Meanwhile, the opposition alliance has said that they would start a political movement against the 27th Constitutional Amendment from Friday, pledging to restore judiciary and the office of the chief justice's power that they claim have been curbed by the amendment, The Express Tribune reported.
PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said, "The office of the Chief Justice has been abolished — we will restore it." He stated, "We will restore the dignity and powers of the judiciary,” he added, arguing that while judicial reforms may be necessary, the government’s current approach toward the judges was “unacceptable."
Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai announced that opposition will start protest later on Friday. He said that movement will remain peaceful and is aimed to restore the mandate of the people, which he claimed had been "stolen."
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