ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Monday evening passed a bill to increase the number of Supreme Court judges from the current 17 to 34 and appoint more judges for Islamabad High Court.
The session of the house started with a delay of over two hours chaired by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar requested the chair to suspend question hour which was accepted. In reaction, the opposition chanted slogans and opposed the move.
The law minister then tabled the bill to increase the number of Supreme Court judges to 34. He said that the government was going to for a constitutional bench of the apex court for which new judges were required. He claimed that all this was being done to reduce the pending cases.
The house also passed another bill to increase the number of Islamabad High Court judges form nine to 12.
Opposition members gathered around the speaker and tore copies of the bills and chanted slogans against the government.
Tenures of services chiefs
The National Assembly also passed with majority a bill to increase the tenures of the services chiefs from the current three to five years.
Earlier, Defense Minister Khowaja Asif presented the bill to amend the Army Act of 1952, Pakistan Navy Act and Air Force Act of 1953.
