The Courts · As of July 2026
Supreme Court of Pakistan
The apex court of appeal for Pakistan, sitting in Islamabad with branch registries across the provinces — the court where most commercial and criminal cases finally end.
The Court's shape has moved twice in two years. The 26th Amendment (October 2024) fixed the Chief Justice's term at three years, put the appointment in a special parliamentary committee choosing from the three senior-most judges, and created constitutional benches inside the Court; the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act 2024 raised the sanctioned strength from 17 to 34. The 27th Amendment (November 2025) then moved constitutional jurisdiction out of the Court altogether, to a new Federal Constitutional Court — a change that prompted the protest resignations of Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah, and the transfer of other justices to the new FCC.
As of July 2026, roughly seventeen judges including the Chief Justice are actually serving. For companies and accused persons the Court matters chiefly at the gate of Article 185 — leave to appeal — while pure constitutional questions now begin their final journey in the FCC.
Jurisdiction
- Appellate jurisdiction over every High Court and the tribunals (Article 185; leave to appeal is the working gate for civil and criminal cases alike).
- Original jurisdiction in inter-governmental disputes (Article 184(1)).
- Article 184(3) public-importance jurisdiction and other constitutional questions now sit with the Federal Constitutional Court under the 27th Amendment — the boundary between the two courts is itself new law to be watched.
- Review of its own judgments (Article 188) and the power to do complete justice (Article 187).
Chief Justice
Mr. Justice Yahya Afridi
Chief Justice since 26 October 2024 · fixed three-year term to October 2027
The 31st Chief Justice of Pakistan and the first appointed by the parliamentary committee under the 26th Amendment. Educated at Aitchison College and Government College Lahore; judge of the Peshawar High Court from 2010 and its Chief Justice from 2016; elevated to the Supreme Court in June 2018.
The Bench
Sitting judges.
Verified members of the bench as of July 2026, by seniority of elevation — not the complete roll, which is maintained at supremecourt.gov.pk. Note the November 2025 transfers to the Federal Constitutional Court (including Justices Aminuddin Khan and Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi) and the resignations of Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah. [RE-VERIFY QUARTERLY]
| Judge | Elevated | Background |
|---|---|---|
| Mr. Justice Munib Akhtar | 2018 | Senior puisne judge; formerly of the Sindh High Court, a constitutional and commercial-law specialist. Took oath as Acting Chief Justice in June 2026 during the CJP's foreign visit. |
| Mr. Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail | 2021 | Former Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court; served on the 26th-Amendment constitutional bench and wrote a noted dissent in the 2025 military-courts case. |
| Mr. Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar | 2021 | Formerly of the Sindh High Court; member of the post-26th-Amendment constitutional bench before the FCC's creation. |
| Ms. Justice Ayesha A. Malik | 2022 | The first woman on the Supreme Court of Pakistan; formerly of the Lahore High Court, author of landmark dignity-of-women and evidence rulings. |
| Mr. Justice Shahid Waheed | 2022 | Formerly of the Lahore High Court; a regular presence on the Court's civil benches. |
| Ms. Justice Musarrat Hilali | 2023 | First woman Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court before elevation; retires in August 2026, with LHC Chief Justice Aalia Neelum approved to succeed to the seat. |
| Mr. Justice Irfan Saadat Khan | 2023 | Formerly of the Sindh High Court; the Court's deepest tax-law experience. |
| Mr. Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan | 2024 | Former Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court; sat on the 26th-Amendment constitutional bench. |
| Mr. Justice Malik Shehzad Ahmed Khan | 2024 | Former Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court; a criminal-law authority with one of the country's heaviest appellate dockets behind him. |
| Mr. Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi | 2024 | Former Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court; revenue and commercial-law background. |
| Mr. Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan | 2024 | Formerly of the Lahore High Court's civil side; elevated in June 2024. |
| Mr. Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar | 2025 | Former Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court; more than two decades at the Balochistan bar before the bench. |
| Mr. Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui | 2025 | Former Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court. |
| Mr. Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim | 2025 | Former Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court; on the bench that clarified the scope of the Anti-Terrorism Act in June 2026. |
| Mr. Justice Shakeel Ahmad | 2025 | Formerly of the Peshawar High Court; among the six judges sworn in on 14 February 2025. |
| Mr. Justice Salahuddin Panhwar | 2025 | Formerly of the Sindh High Court; sitting on the Court's criminal benches through 2026. |
The Tradition
Notable former judges.
- Mr. Justice Muhammad MunirChief Justice, 1954–1960Author of the 'doctrine of necessity' in the Tamizuddin Khan case — the most debated, and most cautionary, legacy in Pakistani constitutional law.
- Mr. Justice A.R. CorneliusChief Justice, 1960–1968Pakistan's celebrated Christian Chief Justice; defender of due process and judicial independence under martial law, revered across the profession.
- Mr. Justice Hamoodur RahmanChief Justice, 1968–1975Presided over Asma Jilani (1972), repudiating the doctrine of necessity, and led the commission on the 1971 war that bears his name.
- Mr. Justice Dorab PatelJudge, 1976–1981Dissented in the Bhutto appeal and refused the PCO oath in 1981; later co-founded the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
- Mr. Justice Iftikhar Muhammad ChaudhryChief Justice, 2005–2013His 2007 removal sparked the Lawyers' Movement; restored in 2009, he expanded public-interest jurisprudence — a legacy still argued over.
The Firm Before This Court
The First Counsel briefs and appears with Supreme Court counsel on leave petitions arising from the firm's corporate and white-collar matters, and tracks the new boundary between the Court and the Federal Constitutional Court as part of the working library.
This profile is provided for general information as of July 2026; bench compositions change, and this page is reviewed periodically. It is not legal advice, and the firm does not speak for the court. Corrections are welcome at [email protected].