Lawyers Challenge 27th Constitutional Amendment; Lahore High Court Bar to Approach Supreme Court

**LAHORE/KARACHI (Qudrat Daily):** Legal experts have filed challenges against the **27th Constitutional Amendment**, with a petition submitted in the **Sindh High Court** while the **Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA)** has announced plans to contest it in the **Supreme Court of Pakistan**.

In Sindh High Court, **Asif Waheed Advocate**, through **Ibrahim Saifuddin Advocate**, filed a constitutional petition against the amendment, naming the **federal government** as a respondent. The petition requests that the 27th Amendment be declared **unconstitutional** and that the creation of the **Federal Constitutional Court** be blocked.

The petition argues that for the past 70 years, the **Supreme Court has been the highest constitutional authority**, and the amendment undermines the application of its past decisions to the new Federal Constitutional Court. Concerns were also raised over the **lifetime privileges granted to judges**, which the petition claims contradict **Islamic principles**, and **forced judicial transfers** that threaten judicial independence. It further contests any clause barring challenges in courts as **unconstitutional**.

Meanwhile, the **Lahore High Court Bar Association** passed a unanimous resolution at its general house, announcing that it will challenge the amendment in the **Supreme Court**, arguing that the **current Parliament lacks the authority** to make such constitutional changes. They compared it to the **26th Amendment**, which was also contested in court.

Previously, a petition against the 27th Amendment was filed in the **Lahore High Court** by **Hassan Latif**, but the court dismissed it after the petitioner requested amendments to the draft, stating that the law had not yet been enacted and the amendments were not part of the Constitution. The **Additional Attorney General** argued that constitutional amendments cannot be challenged in court and that the petition lacked the approved text from the National Assembly.

The petitions collectively assert that the amendment **reduces Supreme Court powers, undermines judicial independence, and disrupts the constitutional framework without provincial consultation**, and request the court to **suspend the implementation of the 27th Amendment** and declare it **void**.

The legal battle is expected to escalate as the LHCBA prepares to take the case to the Supreme Court.