Appointment as JCP member: NA Speaker floats lawyer Saroop’s name

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has proposed a noted lawyer Saroop Ijaz for appointment as a member of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP).

The nomination will be made under Clause 2 (viii) of Article 175-A of the Constitution.

Saroop Ijaz is not a member of the National Assembly. Under the 27th Constitutional Amendment, the Speaker is required to forward the name of a woman, a non-Muslim, or a technocrat who meets the criteria to become a member of Parliament. However, under this law, the Speaker cannot forward the name of any sitting member of parliament.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had requested the Speaker of the National Assembly to propose a name to join the JCP as a member. In response, the National Assembly Secretariat has sent an official letter to the Secretary of the JCP, conveying the nomination of Ijaz, a prominent Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist with a significant international profile.

According to the Centre for Governance and Research, Ijaz is a lawyer and a Senior Counsel for Asia, Human Rights Watch (HRW). He is also a member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).

He is known for his work on legal and human rights issues within Pakistan, including judicial reform, the condition of the justice system, and the application of laws such as the blasphemy law.

Ijaz is a partner at the law firm Ijaz and Ijaz Co. in Lahore. He has worked as a consultant and advisor for various international organisations, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), and the European Union.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025