The Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi has called a full court session to discuss the 27th Constitutional Amendment following letters from three apex court judges, lawyers, ex-judges urging CJP to take a stand.
According to media reports, the full court meeting will be held tomorrow (Friday) before the Friday prayers, and the discussion will focus on the 27th Amendment.
After Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah, Justice Salahuddin Panwar also wrote a letter requesting the convening of a full court meeting.
It is noteworthy that shortly before this development, Justice Salahuddin Panwar’s letter to Chief Justice Yahya Afridi came to light, in which he urged the Chief Justice to call a full court session.
According to the text of the letter, the full court meeting should examine the constitutional amendment clause by clause, and both the Law and Justice Commission and the Judicial Policy-Making Committee should be included in the consultation.
The letter said that the 27th Amendment could disturb the balance of powers, and the Constitution requires the Supreme Court to safeguard it.
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Justice Salahuddin Panwar further wrote that history will not remember our convenience but our courage in decision-making, therefore, a full court meeting should be called immediately to preserve public trust.
Earlier, two Supreme Court judges, in addition to several lawyers and former judges, have requested Chief Justice Yahya Afridi to play his role and act as the guardian of the judiciary’s independence.
Senior puisne judge Mansoor Ali Shah, in a six-page letter, described the proposed amendment as a political device to weaken the judiciary and urged CJP Afridi to confront the executive to lay down a rule that no amendments affecting the judiciary be adopted without prior consultations with superior judges.
