Legislation not carried out for single person: Tarar

ISLAMABAD
In its bid to defend the passage of six amendment bills in the parliament, including one extending the fixed tenure of services chiefs up to five years and the other increasing number of judges in the apex and high courts, the government stood firm on the stance that the legislation was not carried out for a single person.
Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar said that the tweaks were not introduced suddenly, as consultation was ongoing and Pakistan People’s Party also taken into confidence.
The opposition was not ready to discuss the legislation,” he said, speaking during Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ on Tuesday. Tarar’s remarks came in the wake of the passage of the six bills approved by both the Senate and the National Assembly a day earlier, which turned into law after acting president Yusuf Raza Gilani signed them.
Gilani signed all six bills including the Supreme Court Number of Judges (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Islamabad High Court (Amendment) bill, 2024.
“Extending the tenure to five years will not affect the institution’s merit-based system,” said Tarar, adding that the government also addressed the uncertainty regarding the appointment of the army chief. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, on Tuesday, tabled the six bills which also inlcude the one seeking an increase to the number of judges in the Supreme Court up to 34 in a bid to clear the backlog of cases.
In addition to this, the minister presented a bill seeking to amend the SC (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023, aiming to include additions made in the 26th Constitutional Amendment, including the introduction of constitutional benches.