Under the 26th Amendment, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has been reconstituted, appointing Justice Aminuddin Khan to lead a newly formed seven-judge constitutional bench in its inaugural session.
Five out of seven judges on the constitutional bench voted in favor of Justice Aminuddin Khan. Chief Justice of Pakistan, Yahya Afridi, was among the dissenting members of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan. The constitutional bench has representation from all four provinces of the country.
The seven-judge constitutional bench includes Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Ayesha A. Malik from Punjab, Justice Jamal Mandokhail and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan from Balochistan, Justices Hassan Azhar Rizvi and Muhammad Ali Mazhar from Sindh, and Justice Musarrat Hilali from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Justice Aminuddin Khan, as head of the bench, ranks fourth in seniority among Supreme Court judges, according to Dawn’s report. He has served in various judicial capacities, gaining experience in civil, criminal, and constitutional cases, which have shaped his reputation within the legal system..
The minority group included Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, senior puisne judge Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, and Justice Munib Akhtar, as well as PTI leaders Shibli Faraz (Opposition Leader in the Senate) and Omar Ayub (Opposition Leader in the National Assembly).
The majority group comprised Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan, Senator Farooq Hamid Naek, MNA Sheikh Aftab Ahmad, Roshan Khursheed Bharucha, and Pakistan Bar Council representative Akhtar Hussain.
