Following Justice Mansoor Ali Shah’s letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, Supreme Court Judge Justice Athar Minallah has regretted the fact that the apex court at times been used by the “unelected elite” as a tool to suppress the public’s voice at the time when political dissent has been criminalized in the country.
This emerged on Tuesday after Senate approved the controversial 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill.
In his long letter, Justice Minallah lamented that the destiny of future generations had been decided behind the marble walls of the Supreme Court.
He added that the letter was impelled by recent events that have severely undermined the public’s trust in the judiciary.
Justice Minallah said that the institutions, that take decade to build, can can quickly collapse through fear, submission, or surrender to power, acknowledging that the judiciary’s history is not spotless or praiseworthy but the past failures, no matter how grave, don’t justify subordinating it to the interests of an unelected elite.
As a sitting judge of the Supreme Court, he said it was his duty to raise his voice over threats to public confidence.
“I swore to defend, protect, and preserve the Constitution, yet I feel powerless because the fundamental rights enshrined for the people have been reduced to mere words. We may pretend otherwise, but as a judge of the apex court and guardian of the Constitution, the reality is unpleasant and shameful,” he said.
He lamented that the Supreme Court has often been used not to protect public opinion, but to suppress it.
He said that public opinion has been repeatedly suppressed to preserve elite control over the state. This betrayal and destruction strike at the very heart of constitutional democracy.
Justice Minallah added that the founder of PTI, Imran Khan, is also a victim of this ongoing pressure.
“Political dissent has been criminalized. Those who refuse to bow, including women, are forced to live under inhumane conditions. It is no longer a secret that justice is being denied to them,” he said.
