Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial sought the then army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa's help to get junior judges appointed in the Judicial Commission, according to Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.
Anchorperson Muneeb Farooq has confirmed that the former army general told Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about being told by the CJ that he wants the government to vote for junior judges.
On Monday, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar's revealed that the deadlock in the Judicial Commission on the elevation of junior judges in Oct 2022 was settled on Gen (retd) Bajwa's advice.
During an interview on the current affairs programme 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada ke Saath', the law minister said that General Bajwa had given the government some guarantees and in return wanted the hostilities between the government and the Supreme Court to end.
The law minister made it clear that he was always against the appointment of junior judges to the SC and had even resigned from his position after voting for them on government's orders.
Read this too: Law Minister Pins Junior Judges’ Elevation On General Bajwa
In 2022, the Judicial Commission unanimously approved the elevation of IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, but elevation of Justice Shahid Waheed and Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi was approved by a majority of 5-4 votes.
When grilled by Khanzada, Azam Tarar said he wasn’t privy to the guarantees given by the former COAS to the government and was in no position to comment on that.
Commenting on the revelations, the host commented that Gen Bajwa had been central to all the crises Pakistan was going through for the past several years and after the latest revelation, it was clear that he was responsible for this crisis too.
There has not been any response from the top judge or the judiciary over the revelation made, so far.
The development is bound to further escalate the political and judicial crises, amid wrangling over the Punjab elections' date.
Anchorperson Muneeb Farooq has confirmed that the former army general told Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about being told by the CJ that he wants the government to vote for junior judges.
On Monday, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar's revealed that the deadlock in the Judicial Commission on the elevation of junior judges in Oct 2022 was settled on Gen (retd) Bajwa's advice.
During an interview on the current affairs programme 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada ke Saath', the law minister said that General Bajwa had given the government some guarantees and in return wanted the hostilities between the government and the Supreme Court to end.
The law minister made it clear that he was always against the appointment of junior judges to the SC and had even resigned from his position after voting for them on government's orders.
Read this too: Law Minister Pins Junior Judges’ Elevation On General Bajwa
In 2022, the Judicial Commission unanimously approved the elevation of IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, but elevation of Justice Shahid Waheed and Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi was approved by a majority of 5-4 votes.
When grilled by Khanzada, Azam Tarar said he wasn’t privy to the guarantees given by the former COAS to the government and was in no position to comment on that.
Commenting on the revelations, the host commented that Gen Bajwa had been central to all the crises Pakistan was going through for the past several years and after the latest revelation, it was clear that he was responsible for this crisis too.
There has not been any response from the top judge or the judiciary over the revelation made, so far.
The development is bound to further escalate the political and judicial crises, amid wrangling over the Punjab elections' date.