Pakistan’s first-ever Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) formally began hearing cases on Monday, marking a major milestone in the country’s judicial and constitutional framework.
The inaugural bench commenced proceedings at Courtroom No. 2 of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), where a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan began hearing constitutional matters.
The bench also includes Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Arshad Hussain Shah.
The operationalization of the court gained further momentum as two additional judges—Justice Rozi Khan and Justice Arshad Hussain Shah—also took oath as judges of the constitutional court during a ceremony held in the Conference Room of the IHC.
Chief Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan administered the oath.
With their induction, a total of seven judges of the FCC, including the Chief Justice, have now been sworn in.
Earlier, Chief Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan had taken oath at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, administered by President Asif Ali Zardari. Other judges who have already taken oath include Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Aamir Farooq, Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, and Justice K.K. Agha.
The oath-taking ceremony was attended by several prominent members of the judiciary, including IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, Justice Muhammad Azam Khan, Justice Muhammad Asif, and Justice Inaam Amin Minhas.
Representatives of the bar were also present, including IHC Bar President Wajid Hussain Gilani and Secretary Manzoor Ahmed Jajja.
The commencement of hearings alongside the swearing-in of new judges reflects rapid progress in fully establishing the FCC—an institution created to exclusively adjudicate constitutional matters under recent judicial reforms
27th Amendment
Pakistan’s 27th Constitutional Amendment received presidential assent on Friday from President Asif Ali Zardari, following its approval by both the National Assembly and the Senate.
The amendment has sparked widespread attention as it reshapes key aspects of the country’s defense and judicial structures.
The 27th Amendment is one of the most extensive constitutional reform efforts in recent years. It establishes a new Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), adjusts the titles and hierarchy of top judges, and modifies several clauses concerning the military command structure and the presidency.
The version now before the Senate differs from the earlier draft approved by the upper house. It fine-tunes the structure of the proposed Federal Constitutional Court and removes several controversial provisions related to the oaths taken by constitutional officeholders.
One of the key revisions relates to Article 6(2A) of the Constitution, which deals with high treason. The updated text adds the “Federal Constitutional Court” to the article, explicitly bringing the new court under its jurisdiction.
Another change, a newly added Clause 2A, amends Article 10(4) on preventive detention to include a reference to the Supreme Court.
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