Attaullah Tarar, the Federal Minister for Information, recently said that it looks like Justice Mansoor Ali Shah could be the next Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP). This comes at a time when court reforms are still uncertain. He said those things in an interview with a private news station.
The current Chief Justice, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, took office on September 17, 2018, and is set to leave on October 25, 2024. This has led to talk about who should take over as chief justice, and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah has come up as a possible option.
Concerning the ongoing debate with the opposition over the planned changes to the constitution, Tarar said that he thinks the draft has become too controversial for no good reason. He made it clear that the law minister, his team, and the attorney general all worked together to finish the draft changes.
Tarar also said that talks with political parties were still going on and that a copy of the draft is with the team of JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. He made it clear that the talks between the government and Rehman’s group were positive.
In reaction to rumours that there were talks about making a constitutional court, Tarar said that there had been no such talks. He also denied reports that the draft of the constitutional amendment came from outside sources.
Earlier, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the chairman of the PPP, said that Justice Mansoor Ali Shah might be the next chief justice. This added to the discussion about who will lead the courts in the future.