The Supreme Court of Pakistan was established on 2nd March 1956 under the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1956. The Court, in fact, succeeded the Federal Court of Pakistan, established in 1948 under the Federal Court of Pakistan Order, 1948. The Federal Court of Pakistan, in turn, was successor to the Federal Court of India, established in 1937, under the Government of India Act, 1935.
The Federal Court of Pakistan was housed initially in the Sindh Chief Court building at Karachi. On 19th July, 1949, it was shifted to Lahore and housed in a wing of the Lahore High Court building. The newly enacted Constitution of Pakistan, 1956 renamed the Federal Court as the Supreme Court of Pakistan, and provided that the Court shall sit in Karachi and at such other place as the Chief Justice of Pakistan, with the approval of the President, may determine. It would also hold sitting in Dacca at least twice in every year. The 1962 Constitution provided that the permanent seat of the Court shall be at Islamabad with provision to sit in other places as well. Notwithstanding the Constitutional provisions for shifting the Court to Islamabad, the Court retained Lahore as its principal seat due to non-¬availability of appropriate accommodation. The 1973 Constitution reiterated the earlier provision of shifting the Court to Islamabad. Thus, in 1974, the Supreme Court shifted to Rawalpindi, and was housed in an improvised building called East Pakistan House. Non-availability of funds prevented the construction of Supreme Court building in Islamabad and it was only in 1989 when funds were allocated for the purpose and thereafter construction of the building started in October 1990. The building was to be constructed in phases. Phase I was completed on 31st December 1993, on which date the Court shifted to its new premises in Islamabad. Construction of phase-II of the project is in hands and is likely to be completed by 3rd December this year. |
