Pakistan’s lawmakers belonging to the ruling alliance picked a junior judge as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, a move which may spark another round of political and legal battle in the country that needs stability.

Pakistan approved changes to the constitution on Monday, which included empowering parliament to pick the Supreme Court's chief justice, drawing criticism from opposition parties who said it was an attempt to subvert the judiciary.

The constitutional changes were approved in an extraordinary session of parliament which was assembled on Sunday, a public holiday, and ran all night, concluding close to dawn on Monday. "The Chief Justice of Pakistan shall be nominated by the Special Parliamentary

Government amends constitution, authorizing parliament to select Supreme Court chief justice, a move opposition parties and independent critics slam as infringement on judicial independence

Analyst Bilal Gilani, who heads Pakistan's leading polling agency, said the amendments have some wins — including bringing balance to activism by the judiciary, but he said