Lahore High Court’s Justice Shahid Jamil Khan has resigned from his position due to personal reasons.
This comes shortly after two Supreme Court judges also stepped down. Justice Khan sent his resignation letter to President Arif Alvi. He was supposed to retire in 2029 and was in line to become the chief justice.
In his resignation letter, Justice Khan expressed gratitude for his ten years of service but mentioned personal circumstances as the reason for his decision to resign. He also included a proverb, “An ounce of discretion is worth a pound of wit.”
Last month, Justices Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi from the Supreme Court also resigned. Justice Ahsan, the third most senior judge, stated that he no longer wished to continue serving on the top court. Justice Naqvi’s resignation came after the Supreme Judicial Council declined to halt proceedings against him.
The Supreme Judicial Council had issued a show cause notice to Justice Naqvi amidst allegations of bench manipulation and financial misconduct. These resignations have led to speculation, especially as both judges were considered close to former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial.
During Bandial’s tenure, there were visible divisions among the top court judges. Although the situation improved under Chief Justice Isa, the impact of these divisions remained.