Justice Aminuddin Khan Appointed First Chief Justice of Federal Constitutional Court

ISLAMABAD Nov 13,2025— Justice Aminuddin Khan has been appointed as the inaugural Chief Justice of the newly established Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), marking a historic development in Pakistan’s judicial landscape.

The appointment, announced by the Ministry of Law on Thursday, followed swiftly after President Asif Ali Zardari signed the 27th Constitutional Amendment into law — a move that paved the way for the court’s creation. The announcement also came just hours after Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah tendered their resignations in protest.

According to the notification, President Zardari made the appointment under clause (3) of Article 175A read with Article 175C of the Constitution. The appointment will take effect upon Justice Khan’s oath-taking, scheduled for Friday at 10 a.m. at the Presidency. Chief justices and judges of superior courts, along with senior government officials, have been invited to attend the ceremony.

Born in Multan in 1960, Justice Aminuddin Khan is a second-generation lawyer. He earned his LL.B. from University Law College, Multan, in 1984, and began his legal practice under his father, Khan Sadiq Muhammad Ahsan. He became an advocate of the Lahore High Court in 1987 and of the Supreme Court in 2001, before being elevated to the LHC bench in 2011 and to the Supreme Court in 2019.

Sources told Dawn that the FCC will initially comprise seven members — the chief justice and six other judges. The proposed composition includes four from the Supreme Court — Justices Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Musarrat Hilali, Aamer Farooq, and Baqar Najafi — and two from the high courts, Justice KK Agha of the Sindh High Court and Justice Rozi Khan Barrech, Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court.

The initial strength of the FCC will be determined through a Presidential Order, while any future expansion will require parliamentary approval. Law ministry officials confirmed that the President, acting on the prime minister’s advice, will issue formal appointment notifications.

The 27th Amendment, which established the FCC, is part of the government’s broader judicial reform package. The new court aims to streamline the Supreme Court’s workload by handling constitutional questions directly, thereby enhancing judicial efficiency and strengthening institutional independence.

The concept of a separate constitutional court was first proposed in the 2006 Charter of Democracy (CoD), signed between the PPP and PML-N, to separate constitutional adjudication from appellate functions. Though discussed again during the 26th Amendment debates, the proposal was previously shelved amid political resistance.

Under the new framework, FCC judges will retire at the age of 68 — three years later than Supreme Court judges. The court is expected to operate from the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) building in Islamabad, while the FSC will reportedly be relocated to the Islamabad High Court premises.

However, insiders from the FSC have expressed discontent over their relocation, raising concerns with the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

The establishment of the FCC is being hailed by government officials as a “landmark step toward judicial reform and constitutional clarity,” though its long-term impact — both judicial and political — remains to be seen.