Two senior judges of Pakistan’s Supreme Court have urged Chief Justice Yahya Khan Afridi to arrange a full court hearing for petitions challenging the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Munib Akhtar, both part of the Supreme Court’s case scheduling and bench-forming committee under the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Act 2023, sent a letter to the Chief Justice, highlighting the committee’s decision to address these petitions before a full court. The hearing was initially scheduled for November 4.
However, Chief Justice Afridi has not yet called the session, which has stirred tension within the Supreme Court.
On October 31, Justices Shah and Akhtar formally wrote to Chief Justice Afridi, requesting a meeting under the Act to discuss the 26th Amendment, which addresses changes in judicial authority and tenure.
In a separate meeting in Justice Akhtar’s chambers, the two judges voted 2:1 to refer the amendment petitions to a full court on November 4. Despite this, no official cause list has been issued, leaving the case in limbo.
Following this delay, Justices Shah and Akhtar issued another letter to Chief Justice Afridi, expressing frustration over the postponement. They cited Section 2(2) of the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Act, which they argue requires the committee to address these petitions.
The judges also noted that on October 31, they informed the registrar and requested that their decision be published on the Supreme Court’s website.
