ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court will announce its judgment today (Thursday) regarding the presidential reference, seeking judicial advice on the appointment of judges in view of the 18th and 19th Constitutional Amendments.A five-judge bench led by Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and comprising Justice Tariq Parvez, Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed on December 14, 2012 after hearing the arguments of Wasim Sajjad, counsel for federation, Attorney General for Pakistan Irfan Qadir, amici curiae former attorney general Makhdoom Ali Khan and Khwaja Haris, former advocate general Punjab and Akram Sheikh, counsel of petitioner had reserved the judgement. It is to be noted that President Asif Ali Zardari has sought clarity on his role in the appointment of judges through the reference filed by federation’s counsel, Wasim Sajjad, containing 13 questions of law.Earlier, the Supreme Court refused to entertain the Pakistan Bar Council and Supreme Court Bar Association’s separate petitions for becoming party in the presidential reference case because it has already reserved its judgement on December 14.SCBA and PBC filed separate petitions in the Supreme Court to become parties in the president’s reference with regard to the Judicial Commission for the appointment of the chief justice of Islamabad High Court.It is worth mentioning that that the superior bars have supported the questions of law raised by President Asif Ali Zardari in the reference, seeking judicial advice over the appointment of the judges in view of the 18th and 19th amendments.