ISLAMABAD: Two senior judges of the Supreme Court, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah, have stepped down from their positions, submitting their resignations to President Asif Ali Zardari.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah’s seven-page resignation letter describes the 27th Constitutional Amendment as a grave blow to Pakistan’s Constitution. He stated that the amendment has distanced justice from the ordinary citizen, leaving the vulnerable powerless against the influential.
According to the senior judge, the amendment has fractured the Supreme Court and undermined judicial independence, setting the nation back by decades. He added that he could no longer uphold his oath while serving in a court whose constitutional authority has been compromised.
