Pakistan, July 26 -- The Supreme Court's ruling on National Accountability Bureau cases gives operative meaning to the latest stage of Pakistan's judicial restructuring. The jurisdictional change examined by the Court flows principally from the 27th Constitutional Amendment-which created the Federal Constitutional Court-and the National Accountability Bureau (Amendment) Act, 2026.

The case arose from a bail petition, but the question before the Court was wider. After Parliament inserted Section 32A into the National Accountability Ordinance, could the Supreme Court continue to hear NAB appeals, petitions for leave to appeal and connected bail matters?

Reading Article 175F(1)(a) of the Constitution with Sections 32 and 32A of the NAB law...