Pakistan’s Supreme Court has reconstituted three key judicial bodies to align with the revised framework introduced through the 27th Constitutional Amendment Pakistan, marking one of the most significant judicial shake-ups in recent memory.
The changes affect the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), and the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Committee, the apex court said in a press release on Tuesday.
The reconstitution updates how accountability, judicial appointments, and court procedures are handled at the highest level. The move follows the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment Pakistan by the PML-N-led ruling coalition, which introduced wide-ranging changes to the judicial structure and military command.
A major structural addition is the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), a new forum with equal representation from all provinces, now empowered to take suo motu notice on petitions. The amendment also dissolves Constitutional Benches and shifts the power to form case-hearing benches to a three-member committee led by the chief justice under the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure (Amendment) Bill 2025.
Supreme Judicial Council: new composition
Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, the next most senior Supreme Court judge, has been jointly nominated to the SJC by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi and FCC Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan under Article 209.
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With his inclusion, the SJC now comprises:
- CJP Yahya Afridi
- FCC CJ Aminuddin Khan
- Justice Munib Akhtar (SC)
- Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi (FCC)
- LHC CJ Aalia Neelum
- IHC CJ Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar
Practice and procedure committee: three-member bench-forming authority
Justice Mandokhail has also been nominated to the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Committee, constituted under the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023. The committee now includes:
- CJP Yahya Afridi
- Justice Munib Akhtar
- Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail
This committee will oversee the constitution of benches, a power shifted from broader court discretion to this focused three-judge panel.
Judicial Commission of Pakistan: expanded, mixed membership
Justice Aamer Farooq, the next most senior judge of the FCC, has been jointly nominated to the JCP under Article 175A. The reconstituted commission now includes the CJP, FCC chief justice, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Aamer Farooq, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Pakistan Bar Council representative Ahsan Bhoon, two members from the National Assembly, two from the Senate, and one woman or non-Muslim nominated by the NA Speaker.
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In simple terms, this brings together top judges, government law officers, and parliamentarians to decide who gets appointed to the higher judiciary.
The overhaul has sparked intense debate. Soon after the amendment passed, Supreme Court judges Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah resigned, calling the changes a “grave assault on the Constitution of Pakistan.” The federal government described their letters as “political speeches” and termed the allegations “unconstitutional.” Two days later, Lahore High Court judge Shams Mehmood Mirza also resigned in protest against the amendment.
