High Courts of Pakistan

There are five High Courts of Pakistan, each of four based in the capital city of one of the four provinces. The government has proposed a fifth high court to cover the Islamabad Capital Territory. This proposal was blocked by the Lahore High Court but that decision was overturned by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on 24 December 2007. In 18th Constitutional amendment, Islamabad High Court is established.

The Constitution of Pakistan, 1956, Article 170, its text runs as:

"Notwithstanding anything contained in Article 22, each High Court shall have power throughout the territories in relation to which it exercise jurisdiction, to issue to any person or authority, including in appropriate cases any Government directions, orders or writs, including writs in the nature of habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and certiorari, for the enforcement of any of the rights conferred by Part II and for any other purpose.”

At the time of partition (1947) the High Court in Lahore, the High Court of East Bengal, the Chief Court of Sind and the Judicial Commissioner's Court in the North-West Frontier Province were deemed to be the four High Courts of Pakistan.

In 1955 the High Court of East Bengal was renamed High Court of East Pakistan, and the Lahore High Court became the High Court of West Pakistan with Benches at Karachi and Peshawar as well as Circuit Courts at Quetta (replacing the Judicial Commissioner in Balochistan) and Bahawalpur (replacing the High Court of Judicature at Baghdad-ul-Jadid).

As the Province of West Pakistan was dissolved in 1970 three High Courts were established: Lahore High Court, Peshawar High Court, and Sind and Balochistan High Court (with its principal seat at Karachi).

In 1976 the Sind and Balochistan High Court was split into the High Court of Sind (Karachi) and the High Court of Balochistan (Quetta).

In 1985 the Lahore High Court had Benches at Bahawalpur, Multan and Rawalpindi; the High Court of Sind at Sukkur; the Peshawar High Court at Abbottabad and Dera Ismail Khan and the High Court of Baluchistan at Sibi.

In 2010 the Islamabad High Court was finally established, as well as the Mingora Bench of the Peshawar High Court and the Turbat Bench of the High Court of Baluchistan.

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