ISLAMABAD: A civil judge from Punjab, Syed Jahanzaib Bukhari, has resigned after 16 years in service, issuing a 15-page chargesheet that openly accuses former chief justices and the superior judiciary of corruption, political manipulation, institutional arrogance and humiliating the lower bench. In his letter to Chief Justice Lahore High Court Aalia Neelam, Bukhari stated that he is resigning in support of 26th and 27th constitutional amendments and because “trending resignations have also compelled me to resign from my post.”
The judge accused several former Chief Justices and members of the superior courts of enabling military takeovers, personal favoritism, judicial corruption, and political interference.
He wrote, “Superior Judiciary has always brazenly given legitimacy to military coups, introduced doctrine of necessity, committed judicial murder of Hon’able Prime Minister of Pakistan,” and referenced a “few recent actions of few self styled champions of independent judiciary and guardian of constitution” which he claimed require urgent attention.
Declaring himself opposed to authoritarianism, he wrote, “I am and will always remain the last person on earth who would ever support dictatorship, martial law or any system that places unelected individuals above the will of the people. Even the worst form of democracy is better than any polished face of authoritarianism.”
The judge accused the superior courts of legitimising dictators and abandoning constitutional duty. “Superior Judiciary has always brazenly given legitimacy to military coups, introduced doctrine of necessity, committed judicial murder of Hon’able Prime Minister of Pakistan,” he wrote, adding that for decades the institution had produced “a judicial aristocracy that shielded itself, manipulated legal doctrine, enabled political engineering and expanded its authority well beyond constitutional boundaries.”
In his resignation letter, he named three former chief justices. He said that the post-2007 era of judiciary was “the most personalized display of judicial power in national memory,” declaring another ex-CJP as “one of most dishonest and biased judge,” and alleging that during the tenure of the third ex-CJP “bench compositions became predictable… the Supreme Court lost internal cohesion so completely that the public began referring to benches as political wings.”
He cited multiple scandals involving judges’ relatives, and said controversies were routinely “buried through silence, delay, resignation, and protection.”
Bukhari wrote that while superior judges enjoy power and privilege, the district judiciary works under suffocating pressure and disrespect.
He said the lower judiciary is overworked, unprotected and humiliated, claiming “District judges are forced to decide hundreds of cases a day… one disrespectful lawyer or one angry litigant can move a case away from a judge as though trial judges are disposable clerks.”
His own posting as Research Officer Lahore High Court, he wrote, resembled “punishment cell (Judicial Guantanamo bay)” where judges typed their own drafts and carried their own files like “qasids.”
He said judges live under inquiries for minor matters while “members of the Superior judiciary remain insulated from scrutiny despite widely publicized controversies.”
The letter also describes personal tragedies and alleged institutional indifference. Bukhari wrote, “My wife suffered a severe brain haemorrhage during pregnancy, resulting in the tragic loss of our seven-month-old son, yet I was denied leave,” adding that his recent leave request to care for his father suffering from terminal cancer was ignored and that “staff were reportedly instructed not to respond to my calls or messages.” He said, “I shall not seek any claims or benefits from my sixteen years of service,” and declared that he was prepared to testify against the judges he accuses. “I stand ready to act as complainant and prosecutor against all of them, even if I must do so alone.”
The judge urged Parliament to intervene, stating, “Only Parliament possesses the authority to address such matters meaningfully,” and demanded inquiries into “all members of the superior judiciary whose conduct, alliances or family-linked controversies have created the appearance of political favour, financial irregularity, external influence or deviation from constitutional oath.”
He also urged to elevate judges in superior courts from service hierarchy only followed in all services like CSS and armed forces as direct political, bars and one individual›s discretion to install their bondman for handling decisive actions is actual root cause of such biased judicial system.
He also emphasized that vows of such sitting or resigned individuals are not for constitution but their scope in power games has been squeezed rather eliminated. He challenged all such living so-called jurists to come forward and indicate even only one of their interpretations, which is physically benifiting any citizen of Pakistan.
“Pakistan deserves a judiciary that protects citizens, not one that manipulates legal outcomes; a judiciary that defends the Constitution rather than bending it; a system that nurtures young lawyers through learning, not agitation and patronage. It is therefore respectfully urged that Parliament reclaim its constitutional role, dismantle judicial elitism, and establish a transparent elevation system grounded in merit and drawn from the district judiciary, just as all other national services operate.
Only then will discretionary appointments and institutional capture finally end. If Parliament acts decisively, future generations will inherit justice. If it hesitates, they will inherit the same chains,” He said while concluding his letter with the sign-off, “Long Live Pakistan and its democracy.”
When contacted, sources in judiciary said that if the judge had any grievance related to his leave, he could have filed a petition with the LHC. As a judge, he should know which legal options he has at hand if he believes he is being treated unfairly, the sources added.
