ISLAMABAD, Feb 26: The People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) has sent a letter to Chief Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqui apprising him of the "government's efforts" to reduce the strength of the Supreme Court judges.

The letter, written by PPP Senator Latif Khoso, informed the CJ that the government was testing its idea to reduce the number of judges from 17 to 11 through the press.

Obviously, he said, this would be violative of the norms of the Constitution, which was based on the tracheotomy of powers, and the judicial wing of the state would be paralysed and independence of judiciary corroded. He said due to pendency of cases in the SC 17 judges were needed.