Leading attorneys have expressed strong opinions on the proposed constitutional package and have urged Pakistan’s Chief Justice, Qazi Faez Isa, to remain out of the dispute.
Advocates for the Supreme Court Muneer A. Malik and Faisal Siddiqi requested CJP Isa to resign his robes with dignity on October 25, 2024, in a statement released on Sunday.
They further stated that Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah will rightfully be the de facto CJP on October 26 at dawn.
Additionally, they requested that CJP Isa not be considered for any nominations to any prospective benches or constitutional courts.
They recalled that they had either served as CJP Isa’s attorneys or had openly defended him in their writings against the unlawful and fraudulent presidential reference that had been made against Justice Isa at the time.
They referred to the government’s effort as an unprecedented assault on the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and the High Courts through a bundle of dubious and problematic constitutional revisions.
They stated, “We therefore encourage the legal fraternity and the judiciary to oppose and reject these,” noting that “amendments made to the Constitution do not lie in the hands of a parliament that lacks national credibility.”
Shehzad Shaukat, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), expressed astonishment at the government’s increasing secrecy over the constitutional package and its failure to bring it to the appropriate venues for meaningful discussion, which has left the country speculating.
