Process of appointment of superior judiciary in Pakistan Part I

 By Zeeshaan Zafar Hashmi

The issue of appointment of the superior judiciary in Pakistan came into the limelight recently with the passage of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Amendments to the Constitution of Pakistan. The aim of this article is to elucidate the mechanism for appointment of the superior judiciary in Pakistan before and after the passage of these amendments.

Before the Eighteenth Amendment

Prior to the promulgation of the 18^th Amendment, the appointment process for Supreme Court judges was pursuant to Article 177 of the Constitution and that of High Court judges to Article 193. The relevant portions of these articles are reproduced hereunder: