LAHORE - Justice Tasaddaq Husain Jilani will be sworn in as Chief Justice of Pakistan on Thursday (tomorrow), after which the vehicle of democracy will run with all new ‘four wheels’.
Justice Jilani replaces Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry who is retiring today after staying as CJP for more than eight years.
President Mamnoon Hussain, though in South Africa at present to participate in the last rites of the legendary leader Nelson Mandela, will return by then to administer oath to the new CJP.
It is the first time in the country’s history that all important institutions have had new heads with a gap of few months.
Mian Nawaz Sharif, elected as a result of the May 11 elections, became prime minister for a third time in June.
Then Mamnoon Hussain took over as the new head of state on September 9, replacing Asif Ali Zardari who stayed in office for five years, the mandated term.
Gen Raheel Sharif became the new army chief only recently, after Gen Kayani served out two terms of three years each.
While in the past the president, the prime minister and the army chief collectively took all important decisions and were known as troika, the situation has changed after the 18th amendment.  Now, the president is just a figurehead, but the army chief retains his importance because of his military might.
Since the days of Gen Kayani, the political leadership has been taking all important decisions, with the Armed Forces just obeying the orders.
However, no political government can afford to undermine or underestimate the authority of the army chief, no matter how submissive and humble he appears to be.
Though just a coincidence, a new acting chief election commissioner also took over only a few days ago.
Justice Nasirul Mulk replaced Justice Jilani, who resigned as acting CEC on being designated as the new CJP.