Two Supreme Court Judges Resign in Protest Over Pakistan’s 27th Constitutional Amendment
Islamabad Pakistan Muhammad Saleem In a dramatic turn of events, two senior judges of Pakistan’s Supreme Court — Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah — have tendered their resignations in protest against the recently passed 27th Constitutional Amendment, which critics say undermines judicial independence. According to official reports published by The Express Tribune…
Islamabad Pakistan Muhammad Saleem
In a dramatic turn of events, two senior judges of Pakistan’s Supreme Court — Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah — have tendered their resignations in protest against the recently passed 27th Constitutional Amendment, which critics say undermines judicial independence.
According to official reports published by The Express Tribune and Arab News, both judges submitted their resignations to President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday, citing “serious constitutional concerns” over the amendment that allegedly curtails the Supreme Court’s powers and places the judiciary under greater executive control.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, in his detailed 13-page resignation letter, described the amendment as “a direct assault on the Constitution and the independence of the judiciary.” Justice Athar Minallah echoed similar sentiments, stating that “the Constitution I took an oath to protect no longer exists in its original spirit.”
The 27th Amendment, passed amid widespread political controversy, has drawn condemnation from legal and civil society circles, with many viewing it as an attempt to weaken the separation of powers and erode democratic checks and balances.
