The Judicial Commission of Pakistan, or JCP, is the constitutional body responsible for nominating judges to Pakistan’s superior courts. It is chaired by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and now includes representatives from both the Supreme Court and the Federal Constitutional Court, alongside government, parliamentary and bar council members. Its most recent meetings have dealt with judge transfers, appointment rules, and performance evaluation criteria for High Court judges.
Background
The JCP was created under Article 175A of the Constitution following the 18th Amendment in 2010. For over a decade, it kept a judicial majority, with senior Supreme Court judges forming the bulk of its membership alongside the Law Minister, the Attorney General and a Pakistan Bar Council nominee.
That balance shifted in October 2024, when the 26th Constitutional Amendment brought parliamentarians onto the commission for the first time. Two members from the National Assembly, two from the Senate and a woman or non-Muslim nominee joined the panel, cutting the judiciary’s share of seats and giving elected politicians a direct role in choosing judges.
A bigger change followed in November 2025. The 27th Constitutional Amendment created the Federal Constitutional Court, a new top-tier court for constitutional matters, and reworked the JCP’s judicial seats so both the Supreme Court and the FCC now have judges on the commission.
Judicial Commission of Pakistan Members 2026
Under the current, reconstituted setup, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan is chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi. Its other members include Federal Constitutional Court Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan, Supreme Court judge Justice Munib Akhtar, FCC judge Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and FCC judge Justice Aamer Farooq, who was jointly nominated by the two chief justices as the next senior-most FCC judge.
Beyond the judges, the commission’s total membership includes Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, Pakistan Bar Council representative Ahsan Bhoon, two members each from the National Assembly and Senate, and one woman or non-Muslim member nominated by the Speaker of the National Assembly.
Judges now hold a minority of seats on a commission that once had a built-in judicial majority. That shift started with the 26th Amendment and carried through, with some changes, into the 27th.
Judicial Commission of Pakistan Latest News
The commission has stayed active through the first half of 2026. On 11 June, it met at the Supreme Court in Islamabad to take up draft rules on judge appointment interviews, a new framework for evaluating the judicial performance of High Court judges, amendments to the 2024 appointment rules, and criteria for nominating judges to constitutional benches. Those items were referred forward for further discussion at a following meeting that was to include representation from all High Courts. Earlier in the year, the commission also handled a set of High Court judge transfers under Article 200 of the Constitution. It approved the transfer of Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiani from the Islamabad High Court to the Lahore High Court, and the transfer of Justice Babar Sattar from Islamabad to the Peshawar High Court, both by majority vote. A third transfer, of Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz to the Sindh High Court, was likewise approved, while two other proposed transfers were withdrawn by the members who had requested them.
Separately, the related Supreme Judicial Council, the body that handles complaints and conduct matters concerning judges, met in June to revise the judges’ code of conduct, though it set aside a proposed set of procedural rules for further deliberation.
Quotes
A Supreme Court press release on the November 2025 reconstitution said the changes were made to keep the bodies functioning “under the amended constitutional scheme,” without elaborating further on the reasoning.
The International Commission of Jurists takes a more critical view. In its analysis of the amendment, the group points out that judicial members no longer hold a majority on the commission that decides who becomes a judge in the first place, a structural change it argues weakens judicial independence.
Impact
The reshaped JCP affects how every future Supreme Court, High Court and Federal Constitutional Court judge in Pakistan gets appointed. With political and executive appointees now outnumbering judges on the commission, critics argue the change could make the judiciary more responsive to parliamentary and government preferences than it has been in the past. Supporters of the 26th and 27th Amendments have countered that broader representation makes the appointment process more accountable to elected institutions rather than leaving it entirely in judges’ hands.
The commission’s decisions also ripple outward regionally, since Pakistan’s judicial appointment model has often been referenced in South Asian debates over how much control a judiciary should have over its own membership.
Judicial Commission of Pakistan Website and Where to Check Updates
Official notices, press releases and meeting outcomes are published through the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s website, under its Judicial Commission of Pakistan section, as well as through the Press Information Department. These remain the most reliable sources for confirming commission membership, meeting dates, and decisions, rather than social media posts or unverified aggregator sites.
Conclusion
With judge appointment rules, performance evaluation criteria and constitutional bench nomination criteria all still under discussion as of mid-2026, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan is expected to hold further sessions in the coming months, including one bringing in representation from all High Courts. Given how recently the commission was reconstituted, additional adjustments to its composition or procedures are possible if Parliament or the courts revisit the 26th and 27th Amendments.
FAQs
What is the qualification of Yahya Afridi?
Yahya Afridi is a career judge who rose through Pakistan’s judicial system before being appointed Chief Justice of Pakistan on 26 October 2024. Before heading the Supreme Court, he served as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and, earlier, as Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court, giving him decades of experience in constitutional and appellate matters before he came to chair the Judicial Commission of Pakistan.
Where is Qazi Faez Isa now?
Qazi Faez Isa served as Chief Justice of Pakistan until his term ended in October 2024, when Yahya Afridi succeeded him. Since leaving the position, Qazi Faez Isa is no longer part of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan’s current lineup, and his public role has been limited compared to his time as the country’s top judge. Readers should check current Supreme Court statements for any recent updates on his activities.
What is judicial review in Pakistan?
Judicial review is the power of Pakistan’s superior courts, including the Supreme Court and now the Federal Constitutional Court, to examine laws, executive actions and constitutional amendments and strike them down if they conflict with the Constitution. It is a separate function from the Judicial Commission of Pakistan’s job of nominating judges, but both have come up repeatedly in the debate over judicial independence since the 26th and 27th Amendments passed.
