A group of retired judges and senior lawyers have written an urgent letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, calling for a full court meeting to deliberate on the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment. The letter, signed by prominent legal figures, warns that the amendment poses the “greatest threat” to the Supreme Court’s independence since its creation in 1956.
Authored by Advocate Faisal Siddiqui and co-signed by Justice (retd) Mushir Alam, a former senior puisne judge of the Supreme Court, and Justice (retd) Nadeem Akhtar, former senior puisne judge of the Sindh High Court, the letter expresses deep concern over the far-reaching implications of the 27th Constitutional Amendment. According to the signatories, the proposed changes would not only alter Pakistan’s military command structure but also drastically curtail the powers of the Supreme Court by transferring certain authorities to a newly proposed Federal Constitutional Court.
Under the proposed amendment, the Federal Constitutional Court’s chief justice would serve a three-year term, and the court would feature equal representation from all provinces. The signatories, including senior lawyers 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, view these developments as unprecedented in Pakistan’s judicial history.
The retired judges and senior lawyers described the move as “the biggest and most radical restructuring of the Federal Appellate Court system since the Government of India Act, 1935.” They stressed that neither civilian nor military rulers had ever sought to subordinate the Supreme Court or strip it of its constitutional authority — a precedent they warn this amendment could set.
In their appeal, the signatories urged Chief Justice Yahya Afridi to immediately convene a full court meeting to formulate a unified judicial response to the government’s proposal. They emphasized that the Supreme Court retains both the right and the constitutional authority to provide input on any amendment that directly impacts its structure and powers.
The letter concluded by warning that the 27th Constitutional Amendment is expected to be tabled for passage by November 11, 2025, urging swift judicial deliberation before irreversible changes take effect.
