Pakistan
27th Amendment Poses ‘Biggest Threat’ to Supreme Court, Say Ex-Judges, Lawyers
ISLAMABAD: A group of retired judges and senior lawyers has written to Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, urging him to convene a full court meeting over the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, which they say poses a serious threat to the apex court.
The letter, drafted by Advocate Faisal Siddiqui and signed by former Supreme Court judge Justice (retd) Mushir Alam and ex-Sindh High Court judge Justice (retd) Nadeem Akhtar, expressed “deep sadness and regret” over what they described as the “greatest threat” to the Supreme Court since its establishment in 1956.
The proposed amendment seeks to restructure the military command hierarchy and shift certain powers from the Supreme Court to a newly proposed Federal Constitutional Court. The draft also proposes a three-year term limit for the Federal Constitutional Court’s chief justice and equal representation for provinces.
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Other signatories include senior lawyers Muneer A. Malik, Anwar Mansoor Khan, Muhammad Akram Sheikh, Ali Ahmad Kurd, Abid S. Zuberi, Kamran Amanullah, Khawaja Ahmad Hosain, Salahuddin Ahmed, and Shabnam Nawaz Awan.
In their letter, the former judges and lawyers described the amendment as “the biggest and most radical restructuring of the Federal Appellate Court structure since the enactment of the Government of India Act, 1935.” They noted that neither civilian nor military governments in Pakistan’s history had attempted to reduce the Supreme Court to a subordinate entity or curtail its constitutional jurisdiction — a step they argue is being proposed through the 27th Amendment.
The group urged CJP Afridi to call a full court meeting immediately to discuss the proposed amendment and formulate a collective response to the federal government. They emphasized that the Supreme Court “has every right and power to give its input” on any constitutional change affecting its structure and authority.
According to the letter, the amendment is expected to be presented for parliamentary approval by November 11, 2025, making an urgent judicial discussion essential, the signatories said.
