Pakistan: SC to hear petition against proposed constitutional amendment on Oct 17

Islamabad [Pakistan], October 12 : The Pakistani Supreme Court (SC) set a hearing date of October 17 for a petition requesting a ruling that parliament cannot introduce or approve the government's much-discussed constitutional amendments, the Dawn reported on Saturday.
The much-discussed Constitutional Package is a piece of legislation that suggests a number of constitutional changes, one of which is an extension of the tenure of the chief justice.
Experts worry that by limiting the Supreme Court to exclusively considering appeals or civil and criminal petitions, the proposed revisions will effectively undermine the judiciary's independence, the Dawn reported.
A group of attorneys, led by former Supreme Court Bar Association Abid Shahid Zuberi, petitioned the highest court in September to stop the government from introducing the measure in parliament because they were disturbed by the plans of the government, the Dawn stated.
The SC registrar's office had earlier returned the petition; however, a supplemental cause list issued today set a hearing date on this matter. Justices Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Shahid Bilal Hassan will be on the bench hearing the case, led by Pakistan's Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, the Dawn reported.