Justice Mandokhail | Pakistan

Supreme Court’s Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail has observed that returning officers (ROs) correctly prepared lists of 41 independent candidates during the 2024 general elections, as it was PTI’s decision-makers who “compelled” them to contest in that manner. Justice Mandokhail, a member of the now-defunct Constitutional Bench (CB), made the observation in his additional note in the reserved seats review case. In its June 27 ruling, the CB, by a majority of seven judges, had overturned the earlier SC judgment of July 12, 2024 that had granted reserved seats to the PTI. While seven judges had accepted all review petitions filed by the ruling coalition parties, three others — including Justice Mandokhail — had partially allowed them, and two had rejected the pleas outright on the first day of the hearing. Justice Mandokhail had maintained his original July 2024 order of giving 39 seats to PTI, but reviewed the majority judgment to the extent of 41 seats. In his note uploaded on the SC website on Tuesday, the judg...

• Justice Mandokhail issues 36-page dissenting note against majority decision to uphold civilians’ military trial • Regrets govt opted to burden military courts instead of improving judicial system ISLAMABAD: Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail of the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench on Friday issued a 36-page dissenting note challenging the majority verdict that upheld the trial of civilians in military courts and raising questions about the use of military courts for civilian cases. “Nowhere in the world, courts martial try terrorism-related cases,” said Justice Mandokhail, a member of the seven-judge constitutional bench, in the dissenting note. Justice Mandokhail and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, in a minority judgement on May 7, set aside intra-court appeals against the Oct 23, 2023, five-judge judgement that had declared the military trials of civilians illegal. While brushing aside the perception that civil courts had failed to tackle the menace of terrorism and courts martial were the only solution to th...

Supreme Court judge, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, on Thursday urged the government to recognise mining as a formal industry, highlighting the harsh and often deplorable conditions faced by miners, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The mineral sector currently contributes only about 3.2 per cent to Pakistan’s GDP. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has repeatedly highlighted the mining potential across the country, even going as far as to say that if the country managed to harvest its mineral reserves that valued “trillions of dollars”, it could allow the country to say farewell to global financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Addressing a high-level national conference under the theme ‘Workers and Employers in 2025: Navigating Change with Harmony’, Justice Mandokhail said, “In the eyes of the law and Islam, employers and workers are equal, and the Supreme Court stands as the ultimate guardian of their rights.” He expressed deep concern over the absence of institution...