ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain on Thursday approved the appointment of Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani as the next chief Justice of Pakistan.

The appointment was approved by the president after receiving Jillani's recommendation from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

An official notification is still pending in this regard and is expected to be issued in a couple of days.

Jillani, who currently serves as the acting chief election commissioner, will take over on Dec 12 from Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry after he retires following an eight-year tenure.

The oath-taking ceremony is expected be held on the morning of Dec 12 at the Presidency in the federal capital.

Asma Jahangir, a human rights activist, lawyer and former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, said she expected the 64-year-old Jillani to be a far quieter presence as compared to his predecessor.

“Jillani will serve as a judge while the present chief justice acts like a politician. Jillani will do what a judge is supposed to do, he has no special agenda,” she told news agency AFP.

“The judiciary under Iftikhar Chaudhry was a one-man show, everything and everybody was under his complete control.”

Jillani has been a Supreme Court judge since 2004 and like Chaudhry was sacked when former military dictator Musharraf imposed emergency rule in November 2007.