President Asif Ali Zardari has accepted the resignations of Supreme Court judges Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah, who stepped down in protest against the 27th Constitutional Amendment.

The announcements were made via the official presidential “X” account on Friday.

Justice Shah and Justice Minallah tendered their resignations as judges of the Supreme Court on Thursday.

Justice Shah sent his 13-page resignation letter to President Asif Ali Zardari.

In his letter, Justice Shah sharply criticised the recently adopted 27th constitutional amendment.

Justice Minallah has also sent his seven-page resignation to the president.

In his resignation letter, Justice Shah declared the 27th Constitutional Amendment as a “serious attack on the Constitution of Pakistan.”

Justice Shah stated that the 27th Amendment has “fragmented the Supreme Court of Pakistan.”

He stated that the amendment has made the judiciary “subordinate to the government,” and “struck at the very soul of our constitutional democracy.”

Justice Shah said that his conscience was clear and that he had no regrets about stepping down.

“I am resigning from the office of Senior Judge of the Supreme Court. The constitutional amendment is a grave attack on the Constitution of Pakistan,” he wrote.

He said he had served the institution with honour and integrity, but the 27th Amendment had dealt a severe blow to the Supreme Court.

“Through this amendment, the Supreme Court has been shattered, justice has been distanced from the common man, and the judiciary has been made subordinate to the government,” the letter added.

Justice Shah also quoted verses by poet Ahmad Faraz, writing, “My pen is a trust from my people.”

He said the amendment had struck “a deep wound on the soul of our constitutional democracy.”

In his resignation letter to the president, Justice Minallah wrote that “the Constitution I swore to protect no longer remains intact.”

He stated that he had always pledged allegiance to uphold the Constitution, but the recent amendment and circumstances had proven that “the Constitution has lost its spirit.”

The development came after parliament approved the 27th constitutional amendment bill, creating a separate federal constitutional court.