Four judges of the Islamabad High Court have prepared a draft petition to challenge the 27th Constitutional Amendment, it was learnt on Thursday.
According to the sources, a draft petition has been prepared and forwarded to the apex court for filing, with the formal submission expected later.
Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kiani and Babar Sattar are among the applicants, while Justices Saman Rafat Imtiaz and Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan are also part of the group contesting the legislation.
However, sources within the Supreme Court said, no petition from the Islamabad High Court judges had been received so far. Officials of the newly established Federal Constitutional Court similarly stated that they also had not yet received any application challenging the amendment.
The 27th Constitutional Amendment, which became law after receiving the president’s assent, has triggered widespread criticism from opposition parties, lawyers, judges and legal commentators, who have described it as an assault on the constitutional and fiduciary principles.
In protest over the amendment’s approval, the senior-most judges of the Supreme Court – Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah – resigned, calling the move ‘a grave assault on the Constitution of Pakistan’.
The fallout has continued to deepen, fuelling speculation that more resignations may follow. Under the new constitutional framework, the Supreme Court now stands subordinate to the Federal Constitutional Court.
The amendment introduces sweeping institutional changes. Under revised Articles 199 and 200, the president is empowered to transfer high court judges between provinces on the recommendation of the Judicial Commission, with any judge declining transfer, deemed retired.
Meanwhile, the full court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, last week discussed a senior judge’s proposal for en masse resignation, with majority of judges disagreeing with it
The meeting later unanimously approved the Supreme Court Amendment Rules 2025
According to the Supreme Court (SC) sources, around 13 judges attended the Full Court Meeting called in connection to discuss the resignation by two judges. Two of the 23 SC judges, former judges Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah, have already resigned.
Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Baqir Najafi did not attend, as they had been nominated as judges of the Federal Constitutional Court. Also, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Ayesha Malik and Justice Musarrat Hilali could not attend due to personal engagements.