On Friday, Supreme Court Justice Mansoor Ali Shah sent a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, urging him to publicly respond to six questions related to critical institutional concerns.
ISLAMABAD:
Supreme Court Justice Mansoor Ali Shah has written a letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, urging him to publicly reply to six institutional concerns that, he said, remain unanswered despite repeated communications.
In the letter, written on Thursday and seen by nenagency, Justice Shah expressed regret that his earlier letters had gone unanswered, calling the silence from the CJP “not merely discourteous” but damaging to the collegial traditions of the court. He emphasized that without institutional courtesy, “a constitutional court cannot function.”
Justice Shah noted that with the new judicial year starting on Monday, CJP Afridi has convened a judicial conference to review reforms and set priorities. He urged that this forum be used to address his concerns “squarely,” reassuring judges, lawyers, and the public of transparency and constitutional fidelity.
The questions raised include:
- Why the Practice and Procedure Act Committee has never been convened.
- Why revisions to the Supreme Court Rules 1980 were approved without a Full Court debate.
- Why dissenting opinions were regulated without open deliberation.
- Why a general standing order on leave restricts judicial independence.
- Why petitions against the 26th Amendment remain pending before a Full Court.
- Whether the CJP is promoting judicial independence or enforcing compliance.
Justice Shah stressed that these were institutional concerns, not personal grievances, and urged the CJP to turn the judicial conference into a “moment of renewal.”
