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Pakistan Enacts 27th Amendment, Installs Constitutional Court as Judges Resign

The overhaul has sharpened an institutional standoff between the judiciary and the government.

Overview

  • President Asif Ali Zardari signed the parliament‑approved 27th constitutional amendment, making it part of the Constitution.
  • Following enactment, the federal government constituted a Federal Constitutional Court, and Justice Aminuddin Khan was sworn in as its first chief justice.
  • Supreme Court justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah resigned in protest, with Minallah writing that the Constitution he swore to uphold 'no longer exists.'
  • Justice Salahuddin Panhwar asked Chief Justice Yahya Afridi to convene a full‑court meeting to review the amendment clause by clause and to consult statutory judicial bodies.
  • The Lahore High Court dismissed a pre‑enactment petition as premature, as senior ministers publicly defended the reform while senior lawyer Makhdoom Ali Khan resigned from the Law & Justice Commission.