KARACHI: A lawyer has invoked the jurisdiction of the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) against the recently passed 27th Amendment to the Constitution, asking the court to set it aside since the legislation is “repugnant to the injunctions of Islam”.
The petitioner also asked the FSC to declare that the state and its organs were under a continuing obligation to ensure that all laws, constitutional provisions and institutional arrangements remain consonant with the injunctions of Islam as enshrined in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah.
Citing the Ministry of Law and Justice and Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs as respondents, petitioner Barrister Ali Tahir stated in the petition that the impugned amendment has fundamentally altered the balance of power among the country’s institutions and that it has centralised authority in the executive, weakening judicial independence and entrenching military supremacy in constitutional law.
He submitted that Islamic governance was founded on the principles of justice, trust and accountability and the Quran repeatedly commanded the rulers and judges to uphold justice and to be accountable to Allah and the people and that Islamic jurisprudence mandated that the judiciary must be independent from executive and legislative interference.
The petitioner stated that lifetime immunity for the president of the country and military leaders creates a privileged class above the law, violating the Quranic command for equality and accountability and this erodes public trust in institutions and undermines the legitimacy of the state.
Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2025
