Supreme Court Judges Mansoor Ali Shah, Athar Minallah Step Down

ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah have tendered their resignations, sources confirmed on Thursday.

The move comes as Pakistan’s judiciary undergoes major changes, including the upcoming oath-taking of Justice Aminuddin Khan as Chief Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court.

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Justice Mansoor Ali Shah submitted a detailed 13-page resignation to the President Asif Ali Zardari expressing that he is leaving “with a clear conscience” and has “no regrets.” Sources also confirmed that Justice Athar Minallah has resigned.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, while submitting his resignation to the President, has taken the position that the Supreme Court has been dealt a serious blow through the 27th Amendment, and this is an attack on the Constitution.

He said that with the constitutional amendment, justice has become distant from the common man, and he has become helpless in the face of weak power. This amendment has made the judiciary subordinate to the government.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah also included poems by Ahmed Faraz in the resignation sent to the President.

He wrote that by dividing the country’s highest court and violating the independence of the judiciary, the country has been pushed back decades.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah took the position that history is a witness that such changes in the structure of the constitutional order do not prove to be long-lasting, and reform is a sure thing, but the scars left by it cannot be healed.