ISLAMABAD, November 5, 2024: Senior Supreme Court judges Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Muneeb Akhtar have formally requested that the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Yahya Afridi, convene a full court bench to hear petitions challenging the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
In a letter addressed to Chief Justice Afridi, the two judges called for the immediate convening of a meeting of the Practice and Procedure Committee, urging that it be held this week. They also requested that the minutes from the last committee meeting, held on October 31, be published on the Supreme Court’s official website.
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The judges emphasized that the committee needs to meet to discuss the petitions against the 26th Amendment, and they reiterated their previous request for these cases to be heard by a full court. Despite having requested a meeting on October 31, the judges noted that no action had been taken, even after follow-up reminders.
In their letter, Justice Shah and Justice Akhtar explained that they had taken the initiative to convene the committee meeting under Section 2, where it was decided that the full court should review the amendment. A hearing was initially scheduled for November 4, but no official cause list was issued, in direct contradiction to the committee’s decision.
The judges concluded by urging Chief Justice Afridi to ensure that the petitions challenging the 26th Constitutional Amendment are presented before the full court without further delay and that the minutes from the October 31 meeting be made available online.