Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders of the opposition in the National Assembly and Senate, Omar Ayub Khan and Shibli Faraz respectively, have tendered their resignation as members of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) due to the multiple legal cases pending against them.
In his resignation, submitted to National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Tuesday, Ayub nominated PTI Chairman and MNA Gohar Ali Khan to succeed him in the commission. “I am writing to formally tender my resignation as a member of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan. This decision has been taken after careful consideration and is necessitated by the multitude of FIRs and legal cases filed against me, which require my immediate and undivided attention,” it read.
“The current legal challenges hinder my ability to serve the Commission effectively, and I believe it is in the best interest of the institution to allow someone with a clear focus to assume this vital role,” he added. The PTI leader said Gohar would prove a valuable asset to the commission because of his legal acumen, integrity, and dedication and urged Sadiq to process the resignation and appoint the replacement at his earliest convenience.
Ayub is among the PTI leaders facing several cases pertaining to the May 9 riots and last week’s Islamabad protest.
A day later, on Wednesday, Faraz submitted his own resignation, nominating Senator Ali Zafar to replace him. In his resignation letter to Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani, Faraz said it had always been his “earnest desire to contribute meaningfully towards the betterment of the judicial system in the country and striving to uphold the principles of justice.”
Noting the critical importance of the role to the national interest, he lamented he was “unjustly entangled in a series of false cases” that made it impossible for him to fulfill the responsibilities required of his new role.
Both Faraz and Ayub were nominated to the JCP last month following its reconstitution after the enactment of the 26th constitutional amendment. The 13-member body is tasked with appointing judges to the Supreme Court, high courts, and Federal Shariat Court. It also oversees the performance of high court judges and prepares their annual performance evaluations.