SC Justice Athar Minallah Expresses Concerns Over 27th Constitutional Amendment in Letter to CJP

ISLAMABAD:Supreme Court Justice Athar Minallah** has written a letter to **Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi**, expressing serious concerns regarding the proposed **27th Constitutional Amendment**.

In the letter, dated **November 8**, Justice Minallah stated that the **Supreme Court has often sided with the powerful rather than the public**. He described the **judicial execution of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto** as an **unforgivable crime by the judiciary**, and cited actions against **Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, and Maryam Nawaz** as part of the same series of injustices. He further noted that the treatment of **PTI founder Imran Khan** reflects a continuation of the same oppressive pattern.

Justice Minallah criticized the **targeting of the Islamabad High Court**, which had earned public trust, and described the letters and acknowledgments of courageous judges as a **burden on the conscience of the Supreme Court**. He remarked, *“We know the truth, but it remains limited to whispers in tea rooms.”*

The judge highlighted **external interference** in judicial matters, calling it an **open reality**, and warned that judges who speak the truth are **subject to retaliation**, while those who refuse to bow face **accountability measures as a tool of intimidation**.

This letter follows a similar correspondence by **Justice Mansoor Ali Shah** to the CJP, in which he emphasized that **if the judiciary does not remain united, its independence and decisions could be compromised**, and recommended **formal consultation with the judiciary** regarding the proposed amendment.