— Senator Qadir tables bill, highlighting growing backlog of cases in SC
— Opposition opposes amendment bill, Law Minister defends the proposal
ISLAMABAD: An amendment bill to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court of Pakistan was tabled in the Senate on Monday. Senator Abdul Qadir introduced the bill during a session chaired by Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani.
Senator Qadir highlighted the growing backlog of cases in the Supreme Court, citing the shortage of judges as a primary cause.
“Due to the limited number of judges, cases take years to be scheduled. Hundreds of tax-related cases involving billions of rupees are pending in courts, while we are forced to seek financial aid from other countries to meet our national needs,” he said.
Opposition members opposed the amendment bill, prompting Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar to defend the proposal.
“Dismissing the bill without reading it is not a constructive approach. We have received a request from the Peshawar government to increase the number of judges by ten, despite the fact that the provincial government is run by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). We are still willing to allocate ten additional judges there,” Tarar stated.
PTI Senator Ali Zafar criticised the bill, alleging that it aimed to interfere with the judiciary.
“By introducing such bills, there is an attempt to manipulate the judiciary. I have made it clear on behalf of PTI that Senator Abdul Qadir is being used for this purpose. We are willing to increase the number of judges by two, but not more than that,” Zafar said.
Senator Saifullah Abro added that there seemed to be an ulterior motive behind the sudden move to increase the number of judges.
“They are troubled by the Supreme Court’s decision regarding PTI seats. First, they should honour the court’s decisions and implement them. Before expanding the judiciary, they must respect the Supreme Court and return the seats to PTI,” Abro argued.
