Pakistan swears in first high court judge to newly formed Federal Constitutional Court

Pakistan’s judicial restructuring under the 27th Constitutional Amendment continued on Saturday as Justice K.K. Agha, a senior judge of the Sindh High Court, was sworn in as a judge of the country’s newly created Federal Constitutional Court (FCC).

The FCC is Pakistan’s first dedicated court tasked solely with interpreting the Constitution and adjudicating constitutional disputes - responsibilities previously handled by the Supreme Court.

Justice Agha’s oath was administered by the Chief Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court, Justice Ameen-ud-Din Khan, during a ceremony at the court’s Conference Room in Islamabad.

The event was attended by several judges who were sworn in a day earlier, including Supreme Court Justices Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Aamer Farooq, and Ali Baqar Najafi, all of whom have been reassigned to the new court following the constitutional amendment. Their induction reflects Pakistan’s ongoing effort to operationalize the FCC as a standalone institution within the country’s judicial hierarchy.

Also present were Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and IHC Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir.

Other senior members of the judiciary - including Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, Justice Muhammad Azam Khan, Justice Muhammad Asif, and Justice Inam Ameen Minhas — attended the ceremony, alongside representatives of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association, indicating broad interest within the legal community in the new court’s mandate.

The Federal Constitutional Court was established under Pakistan’s 27th Constitutional Amendment, which carved out constitutional interpretation and disputes from the Supreme Court’s appellate work. The FCC is now responsible for resolving constitutional questions, disputes between state institutions, and issues arising under the Constitution.

With Justice K.K. Agha’s induction, Pakistan moves a step closer to fully activating its first standalone constitutional court - a notable shift in how the country handles constitutional adjudication.