ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court senior judge, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, has raised questions about the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which appears to affect the process of appointing the next Chief Justice of Pakistan, potentially impacting his own appointment.
During the hearing of a case concerning the Competition Commission of Pakistan, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah commented on the introduction of constitutional benches under the 26th Amendment. He questioned whether the case would now be heard by the newly formed constitutional bench or a regular one, stating, “It seems this question will arise every day.”
Barrister Farogh Naseem noted that political cases are increasingly evolving into constitutional matters. Justice Ayesha Malik added, “Now you know about your constitutional bench.”
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The court decided to postpone the hearing for three weeks to allow time for further clarification on how the new amendment would impact case proceedings. Justice Malik remarked that, under the amendment, Article 199 cases can no longer be heard by the court.
Climate Change Authority Case
In a separate case, Justice Mansoor engaged in a light-hearted exchange with the Additional Attorney General, asking whether the notification for the chairman of the Climate Change Authority had been issued. The Attorney General jokingly replied that it had not, as he had been busy. Justice Mansoor humorously responded, “Now all the busyness will be over.”
The court adjourned the Climate Change Authority case for two weeks.