LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) judge Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza tendered his resignation on Saturday
According to insiders, Justice Mirza cited personal reasons for stepping down and forwarded his handwritten resignation to President Asif Ali Zardari, urging swift acceptance.
Justice Mirza was fifth in the LHC seniority hierarchy and was due to retire in 2028.
His departure follows closely on the heels of two major exits from the Supreme Court of Pakistan earlier this week Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah who also submitted resignations to the president.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah’s detailed, seven-page resignation strongly denounces the 27th Constitutional Amendment, calling it a grave assault on Pakistan’s
constitutional framework.
He stated that the amendment has distanced justice from the ordinary citizen, left the vulnerable powerless against authority, and fractured the unity of the country’s highest court. He argued that the amendment has effectively undermined judicial independence, pushing the nation “back by decades.”
Justice Shah maintained that he can no longer uphold his oath in a court whose constitutional authority has been overshadowed. He also questioned the legitimacy of the current government, which passed the amendment while its own constitutional standing is under judicial scrutiny.
He stressed that Pakistan has historically had one unified Supreme Court, but the 27th Amendment disrupts this structure by creating a superior “constitutional court” above it.
According to him, the amendment was rushed through parliament without debate, consultation, or judicial input, with the underlying intention of allowing the government to appoint judges of its choosing.
