Two Supreme Court Judges Resign Over 27th Constitutional Amendment
Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah resigned hours after President Asif Ali Zardari approved the 27th Constitutional Amendment.
Justice Shah termed the amendment a grave assault on the Constitution of Pakistan, claiming it dismantled the Supreme Court and undermined judicial independence.
He stated that the amendment fractured the unity of the court, subjugated the judiciary to executive influence, and weakened constitutional democracy in Pakistan.
Justice Shah wrote that staying in office would mean silent approval of a constitutional wrong and betrayal of judicial integrity.
He argued that, unlike the 26th Amendment, the latest change stripped the court of its power to review constitutional issues.
“Serving in such a diminished court,” he noted, “prevents me from safeguarding the Constitution I swore to protect faithfully.”
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Justice Athar Minallah, in his resignation letter, wrote that the Constitution he vowed to uphold “no longer exists in its true form.”
He said he had earlier warned the Chief Justice about the dangers of the amendment but his concerns were met with silence.
Minallah described the constitutional order as disfigured, stating that what remains is a shadow without spirit, authority, or people’s voice.
He emphasized that judicial robes symbolize public trust, yet throughout history, they have represented silence and institutional complicity.
Justice Shah warned that the the effects of amendment would leave deep institutional scars, damaging Pakistan’s judicial credibility for generations to come.
Meanwhile, sources confirmed that President Zardari will swear in the chief justice of the new Federal Constitutional Court tomorrow.
