Former prime minister Imran Khan said that his party fully supports Supreme Court Justice Mansoor Ali Shah as the country’s next top judge.
“The decision regarding the next Chief Justice should be made soon. “[We] entirely endorse Justice Mansoor Ali Shah,” the former prime minister stated in an informal interview with media on Wednesday at Adiala Jail.
Imran Khan stated that the “constitutional court’s purpose is to end the power” of the Supreme Court’s top judge, adding that the “administration is bent on undermining the judiciary”.
“They want their very own judges to take on the [2024] election fraud,” the PTI founder asserted, emphasizing that the ruling party “does not wish for the PTI to rise at any expense”.
The former premier made these remarks in light of the continuing debate over the ruling coalition’s constitutional package, which supposedly includes provisions for extending the retirement ages of high court and court judges.
The PTI’s request last month for the early release of a notification regarding the choice of the next top judge sparked speculation that Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa’s tenure might be extended. Isa is scheduled to retire in October of this year.
In response, the government pulled the proposed constitutional package.
