LHC's Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza resigns 

Lahore (Web Desk): Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza of the Lahore High Court (LHC) has stepped down from his position in response to the controversial 27th Constitutional Amendment, becoming the latest senior judge to register his protest against the new changes.

His resignation adds to a growing list of judicial departures, following those of Supreme Court justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah, who also quit after warning that the amendment undermines the independence of the courts.

Justice Shams Mehmood, who began his career as an Additional Judge of the LHC on March 22, 2014, was due to remain on the bench until 2028.

He is the son of former Supreme Court judge Justice Zia Mahmood Mirza and had been serving on the LHC’s administrative committee.

According to reports, he was likely to be moved to another province under the restructured constitutional framework, a possibility that surfaced shortly before he resigned.

These exits come at a moment when the 27th Amendment is facing sharp criticism from legal experts and rights advocates who argue that it places the judiciary under government influence.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah openly described the amendment as “a blow to the spirit of constitutional democracy,” warning that continuing in office would signal acceptance of what he called “a serious attack on the Constitution.”

Justice Athar Minallah echoed the concerns, saying his oath to defend the Constitution had been stripped of its meaning after the amendment, and that resigning was the only honorable course left to him.