Multiple petitions challenging constitutional amendment filed in SC

Balochistan Bar Council, BHC Bar Association and other provincial organisations submit separate petitions

ISLAMABAD: Multiple lawyer organisations from Balochistan, including the Balochistan Bar Council and the Balochistan High Court (BHC) Bar Association, have filed petitions in the Supreme Court challenging the recently passed 26th Constitutional Amendment.

Six prominent lawyers, including former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association Abid Zuberi, have also submitted a petition against the amendment, citing concerns over its impact on fundamental rights, a private news channel reported.

The new amendment introduces changes to the structure of the judiciary and also alters the process of appointment of judges.

The law secretary along with the chief secretaries of all provinces have been mentioned as respondents in these petitions.

Upper, lower houses of Parliament to meet today

Media reports showed that these petitions request the apex court to declare the amendment ‘unconstitutional’. The petitions term the amendment ‘against the core principles of the constitution’, and allege that it compromises the autonomy of the country’s judiciary.

The petitions also request the Supreme Court to stop the Judicial Commission – formed as a result of this amendment – from holding meetings and issuing any orders under the new amendment. The petitions also assert that the decisions already taken by the commission should also be declared ‘null and void’.

The petitions further argue that the parliament is incomplete and, therefore, raise questions on the constitutionality of the amendment’s approval.