Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza resigns from LHC before completing term

Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza resigned from the Lahore High Court on Saturday, marking the first high court resignation since the controversial 27th Constitutional Amendment became law. Family sources said his resignation letter stated that, in light of the recent changes, he could no longer serve in good conscience.

Justice Mirza joined the LHC as an additional judge in March 2014 and was scheduled to retire on March 6, 2028. He is the son of the late Justice Zia Mehmood Mirza, who famously issued the sole dissenting opinion against the dismissal of Benazir Bhutto’s government by then-president Farooq Ahmad Khan Laghari in 1996. Justice Mirza is also the brother-in-law of PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja.

According to Dawn, the resignation comes just two days after the 27th Amendment was passed, a move widely criticised for undermining judicial independence. The International Commission of Jurists described the legislation as a “flagrant attack” on the judiciary. Earlier, Supreme Court judges Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah resigned in protest, denouncing the amendment in strongly worded letters.

Experts say the amendment could fundamentally change Pakistan’s judicial landscape. It grants the Judicial Commission of Pakistan the power to transfer high court judges without their consent and establishes the Federal Constitutional Court, which will now hear key constitutional matters. The FCC’s decisions will be binding on all courts, including the Supreme Court, effectively reducing the SC’s authority in constitutional cases.

The development has sparked wider unease within the judiciary. Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Saman Rafat Imtiaz of the Islamabad High Court have indicated they may not be available to hear cases in the federal capital from next month.

Justice Mirza’s departure underscores growing concerns over judicial autonomy, signalling potential turbulence in Pakistan’s courts in the months ahead.