JCP approves interview rules for judicial appointments

The meeting was presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, who also serves as the chairperson of the JCP. The commission considered several agenda items, including the Interviews of Judges Appointment Rules, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (Judicial Performance Evaluation of High Court Judges) Rules, 2026, amendments to the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (Appointment of Judges) Rules, 2024, and criteria for the nomination of judges to constitutional benches, all of which had been referred back by a committee for the commission’s consideration and decision. The commission also considered a letter dated June 8, 2026, from the Balochistan Bar Council regarding amendments to the rules and procedures for the substitution of a nominee of a provincial bar council serving as a member of the JCP. These agenda items had earlier been referred to a five-member JCP committee, which subsequently submitted its reports. The committee comprised Justice Aamer Farooq of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), Attorney General for Pakistan Anwar Mansoor Awan, Senator Farooq H Naek, Senator Syed Ali Zafar, and Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon. During the commission’s meeting on June 12, it was decided that these matters should be placed before the full JCP, including members representing the Federal Shariat Court and all high courts. Earlier, the committee’s report on the interviews of judges amounted only to a policy decision and did not include a draft rule. During the same meeting, it was observed that the Judicial Commissio