Both the ruling party and the main opposition party have denied the rumor that they have a preferred judge among the top three Supreme Court justices vying to be appointed chief justice.

The coalition government has started the process of choosing a new top court judge after the 26th Constitutional Amendment was passed, which mandates that the top judicial position be filled three days before the incumbent’s retirement. On October 25, Qazi Faez Isa, the current Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), is expected to retire.

It would be incorrect to claim that the administration had a favorite among the three seniormost Supreme Court judges, according to Defense Minister Khawaja Asif.

He stated, “It is incorrect to believe that Justice Yahya Afridi is a government candidate for the position of CJP.”

He claimed that the committee established to choose the Chief Justice would choose amongst Justices Mansoor Ali Shah, Yahya, and Munib Akhtar to be the next Chief Justice.