(1) Pakistan will have these courts:

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• Federal Constitutional Court
• Supreme Court of Pakistan
• High Courtfor each Province (Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Baluchistan)
• Islamabad High Courtfor the capital territory

Other courts that may be created by law.

Note: Wherever “High Court” is mentioned, it includes the Islamabad High Court unless stated otherwise.

(2) Courts can only use powers given to them by the Constitution or by law. They cannot create their own powers.

(3) The Judiciary (courts) must be separated from the Executive (government administration) within 14 years from the start of the Constitution.

Article 175A: Judicial Commission of Pakistan

This article creates a special committee to appoint judges and evaluate their performance.

(1) There will be a Judicial Commission of Pakistan to:

• Appoint judges to the Federal Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, High Courts, and Federal Shariat Court.
• Evaluate the performance of High Court judges.

(2) The Commission will include:

• Chief Justices of the Federal Constitutional Court and Supreme Court
• The next most senior judge from each of these courts
• One judge jointly chosen by both Chief Justices
• Federal Minister for Law and Justice
• Attorney-General for Pakistan
• A senior lawyer (15+ years’ experience) chosen by the Pakistan Bar Council
• 4 members from Parliament (2 from Senate, 2 from National Assembly, half from government, half from opposition)
• One member (woman, non-Muslim, or technocrat) chosen by the Speaker of the National Assembly

(3) The Chief Justices of the Federal Constitutional Court and Supreme Court will be chosen by a Special Parliamentary Committee from the three most senior judges of each court.

(4) The Commission will make rules for how it works, including how to judge if someone is fit to be a judge.

(5) For High Court judges, the Commission will also include:

• The Chief Justice of that High Court
• Head of Constitutional Benches of that High Court
• Provincial Minister for Law
• A senior lawyer from that province

(6) For Islamabad High Court judges, it will also include:

• Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court
• Head of its Constitutional Benches
• A senior lawyer from Islamabad
• A Federal Minister chosen by the Prime Minister

(7) For Federal Shariat Court judges, it will also include:

• Chief Justice of Federal Shariat Court
• The most senior judge of that court

(8) The Commission will nominate one person for each judge vacancy. The Prime Minister sends this name to the President for appointment.

(18) The Commission will evaluate the performance of High Court judges every year.

(19) If a judge is found inefficient, they will be given time to improve. If they don’t improve, the matter goes to the Supreme Judicial Council.

(20) The Commission will make rules for evaluation within 60 days.

(21) The Commission will have its own office with a secretary and staff.

(22) One-third of members can request a meeting, which must be held within 15 days.

(23) Any member can suggest names for judge vacancies.

Article 175B: Federal Constitutional Court

(1) There will be a Federal Constitutional Court with:

• A Chief Justice
• Other judges as decided by Parliament or the President

Rule: There should be an equal number of judges from each province, and at least one from Islamabad.

(2) The President can make rules for how this court works.

Article 175C: Appointment of Federal Constitutional Court Judges

(1) Judges of this court will be appointed by the President through the Judicial Commission (Article 175A).

(2) To be a judge here, you must:

• Be a citizen of Pakistan
• Have been a Supreme Court judge, OR
• Have been a High Court judge for at least 5 years, OR
• Have been a lawyer for at least 20 years

Article 175D: Oath of Office

Before starting work, the:

• Chief Justicetakes oath before the President
• Other judgestake oath before the Chief Justice

Article 175E: Original Jurisdiction

This court has original jurisdiction (hears cases first) in:

• Disputes between the Federal Government and Provincial Governments
• Important public matters involving Fundamental Rights
• Cases involving interpretation of the Constitution

Article 175F: Appellate Jurisdiction

This court can hear appeals from High Courts if:

• The law says so, OR
• The High Court says the case involves important constitutional questions, OR
• The Federal Constitutional Court gives permission to appeal

Exception: No appeal in rent or family cases (except guardianship).

Article 175G: Review Power

The court can review its own decisions if needed.

Article 175H: Advisory Jurisdiction

The President can ask this court for its opinion on important legal questions of public importance.

Article 175I: Retirement Age

• Judges retire at age 68
• The Chief Justiceserves for 3 years or until age 68, whichever comes first

Article 175J: Acting Chief Justice

If the Chief Justice is absent or the position is vacant, the President appoints another judge to act as Chief Justice.

Article 175K: Acting Judges

If a judge position is vacant, the President can temporarily appoint a Supreme Court or High Court judge (including retired judges) to act.

Article 175L: Seat of the Court

• Main office is in Islamabad
• Can also sit in other places as decided by the Chief Justice with the President’s approval

Summary in Simple Terms:

• Article 175– Creates Pakistan’s court system and says courts must be separate from government.
• Article 175A– Creates a committee (Judicial Commission) to choose judges and check their performance.
• Articles 175B–175L– Create a new Federal Constitutional Court to handle disputes between governments, interpret the Constitution, and hear appeals from High Courts. They explain how judges are chosen, how long they serve, and how the court works.
• This new system (from the 27th Amendment) adds a Federal Constitutional Courtabove the Supreme Court for constitutional matters, while the Supreme Court continues to handle regular appeals.