Justice Yahya Afridi, the third most senior judge after the outgoing chief justice, was selected by a parliamentary panel following a constitutional amendment.
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari approved the appointment of the next chief justice on Wednesday, a decision made through a new process that critics argue is aimed at undermining judicial independence. Justice Yahya Afridi, the third most senior judge after the outgoing chief justice, was chosen by a parliamentary panel after a constitutional amendment altered the method for appointing the top judge, according to officials. Afridi will succeed the outgoing chief justice, who retires on Friday, for a three-year term, as announced by Law Minister Azam Tarar. Previously, the most senior judge after the chief justice automatically assumed the top position. However, the government and its allies amended the selection process during a marathon parliamentary session that concluded early Monday morning.
"Two thirds of the committee's membership decided to nominate Justice Yahya Afridi," Tarar, a member of the 12-member committee, stated. The new process faced opposition from Pakistan's main opposition party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who claimed it was an attempt to undermine judicial independence. Some senior lawyers and analysts also expressed opposition to the new appointment process. PTI, despite being a member of the parliamentary panel that selected Afridi, boycotted the proceedings and had previously announced plans to protest if the most senior judge was not appointed chief justice.
"There will be a final call - do or die - for a campaign to block the entire country until this government is toppled," PTI leader Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief executive of the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, declared before Afridi's appointment.
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