SC reserves verdict in 18th Amendment case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday reserved its verdict on the 18 Constitutional Amendment, a notable case in the court history. A 17-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, heard a set of 18 petitions challenging various clauses of the 18th Constitutional Amendment Bill 2010. The clauses, related to the process of judge's appointment by a judicial council, change of NWFP name as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the repeal of Concert List, exempting political parties form holding elections with their factions, were challenged in the apex court by various political parties, lawyers and individuals. In his remarks today, the CJP said ruling of the case would be pronounced later after consultation with other SC judges. The CJP remarked: "our parliament is not second to none in comparison to the parliament of any other country in the world. We should respect it. Our parliamentarians are men of character and they possess all the merits the parliamentarians of other countries have." Judge of the SC, Justice Khalil ur Rehman has remarked that major changes have been made in the Constitution in the name of an amendment.