Islamabad, November 10, 2025: A group of retired judges and senior lawyers have written a joint letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, urging him to convene a full court meeting to deliberate on the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, which they warned poses the “greatest threat” to the Supreme Court’s authority since its inception.
The letter, authored by Advocate Faisal Siddiqui and co-signed by former Supreme Court senior puisne judge Justice (retd) Mushir Alam and former Sindh High Court senior puisne judge Justice (retd) Nadeem Akhtar, expressed “deep sadness and regret” over the proposed constitutional changes.
According to the signatories, the amendment—currently under debate in Parliament—represents “the biggest and most radical restructuring of the Federal Appellate Court system since the Government of India Act, 1935.”
The proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment not only introduces major revisions to the military command framework but also seeks to limit the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court by transferring several of its powers to a newly proposed Federal Constitutional Court (FCC).
Under the draft, the FCC would consist of equal provincial representation, while its chief justice would serve a three-year term—a move that critics say undermines judicial independence and continuity.
The letter’s signatories include prominent legal figures such as 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 senior lawyers warned that the amendment would effectively “relegate the Supreme Court to a subordinate institution,” something they noted had never been attempted by either civilian or military governments in Pakistan’s history.
They asserted that the move could erode the constitutional balance of powers and weaken judicial oversight, arguing that the Supreme Court “has every right and power to give its input” on any constitutional change that directly affects its structure and authority.
The letter urged CJP Afridi to immediately summon a full court meeting to discuss the implications of the proposed amendment and to prepare a unified institutional response to the federal government.
The signatories cautioned that the bill was expected to be passed as early as November 11, stressing that time was of the essence.
“The Supreme Court must not remain a silent spectator when its constitutional position and authority are being fundamentally altered,” the letter stated.
The appeal from within the country’s senior legal community comes amid mounting political debate and opposition resistance to the government’s push to pass the amendment in both houses of Parliament.
