Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan to head constitutional bench

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has appointed Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan as the head of the newly constituted constitutional bench in the Supreme Court.

The decision was made on Tuesday following a 7-5 split vote by the JCP members, with the majority voting in favor of establishing the bench.

The bench will be formed for a duration of 60 days, according to sources. In addition to Justice Khan, the bench will include Justices Ayesha Malik, Naeem Akhtar Afghan, Athar Minallah, Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Musarrat Hilali, and Jamal Khan Mandokhail.

Justice Ayesha Malik will represent Punjab, while Justices Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Jamal Khan Mandokhail will represent Balochistan, sources confirmed.

The JCP meeting, which led to the formation of the constitutional bench, was attended by senior judicial and government officials, including Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Shah, Justice Akhtar, Justice Khan, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Senator Shibli Faraz, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, and representatives from the Pakistan Bar Council.

The constitutional bench has been formed under the framework of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which led to the amendment of Article 191-A. The amendment establishes that the Supreme Court can form constitutional benches with an equal number of judges from each province, and these benches will handle original, appellate, and advisory matters brought before the court.

The formation of constitutional benches comes as part of broader judicial reforms introduced by the ruling coalition. The JCP, which consists of 13 members, is responsible for making appointments to the Supreme Court, high courts, and the Federal Shariat Court (FSC).

On October 21, the 26th Constitutional Amendment was passed in parliament with significant support from the ruling coalition, securing a two-thirds majority.