In a significant development, President Asif Ali Zardari has approved the increase in the number of judges for the Peshawar High Court (PHC), raising the total from 20 to 30. The Ministry of Law and Justice issued a notification confirming the increase, which includes the Chief Justice. The decision was made under Article 192 of the Constitution.
This move comes just a day after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Daniyal Chaudhry introduced the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2024, proposing to raise the number of judges in the Supreme Court from 17 to 23. The bill, which amends the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1997, was not opposed by the government but faced resistance from opposition leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who raised concerns about the quorum. The bill has been referred to the standing committee for further review.
