KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Friday passed the Constitutional Benches of High Court of Sindh (Practice and Procedure) Bill with a majority vote amid strong protests by opposition members belonging to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI).
The legislation replaces the Constitutional Benches of High Court of Sindh (Practice and Procedure) Ordinance 2025, which was promulgated earlier this month by the acting governor to facilitate the formation of constitutional benches in the Sindh High Court in line with the 27th Constitutional Amendment. The bill grants exclusive jurisdiction to constitutional benches over constitutional matters, stipulating that all petitions and applications falling under Article 199 of the Constitution will be heard and decided solely by these benches.
The bill was passed with certain amendments following legal concerns raised against provisions in the original ordinance. The ordinance had termed a judge’s refusal to accept nomination to a constitutional bench as misconduct. Under the revised law, a judge nominated to a constitutional bench “shall not recuse, refuse, or decline to sit on such bench.” However, an additional clause allows a judge to seek withdrawal for “compelling reasons” through a written request to the head of the court, which would then be forwarded to the Judicial Commission of Pakistan for approval. Any withdrawal would only take effect upon approval by the commission.
The legislation empowers the CBs with exclusive jurisdiction over constitutional matters as every petition or application falling within Article 199 of the Constitution will be heard and decided solely by these benches.https://t.co/lrDUBaL6Nd
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) December 20, 2025
As Law Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar presented the bill along with the report of the standing committee on law and parliamentary affairs, JI’s lone member, Muhammad Farooq, demanded a debate on the proposed legislation. After the deputy speaker denied him the floor, JI and PTI members staged a protest, raising slogans against the bill. Members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) remained largely silent during the proceedings.
Despite the protest, the bill was put to a vote and passed by a majority. Following its passage, the law minister criticised the opposition’s conduct, describing their protest as “unwarranted and unjustified.” He stated that the bill had gone through due legislative process, including scrutiny by the standing committee, in which opposition members participated and raised no objections. He added that suggestions made during committee deliberations were incorporated into the final version of the law.
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Separately, opposition members also raised concerns over what they described as inefficient garbage disposal systems in Karachi and Hyderabad. Lawmakers drew attention to poor sanitation and the location of garbage collection centres near residential areas. Responding to the concerns, Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government Qasim Soomro acknowledged the issues and assured the house that corrective measures would be taken.
The session also saw Agha Shahbaz Durrani, son of former speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, taking oath as a member of the Sindh Assembly. The house was later adjourned to Monday.
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