Article 184: formerly the Supreme Court's original jurisdiction (now omitted)
184 (omitted); 175E
Before the 27th Amendment, Article 184 gave the Supreme Court two special powers: to decide disputes between the Federal Government and the Provinces, and to hear fundamental-rights matters of public importance directly under 184(3), which was the source of most suo motu cases. The 27th Amendment omitted Article 184. Those powers now belong to the Federal Constitutional Court under Article 175E: disputes between governments, and fundamental-rights matters of public importance, where the court may act only if a person files an application. If an older document or case refers to Article 184(3), read it as Article 175E(3) for matters after 13 November 2025, and note that pending 184 cases were transferred to the Federal Constitutional Court (Art. 175E(4)).
What does 184 (omitted); 175E say?
184. [Omitted.]
Article 184 was omitted by the Constitution (Twenty-seventh Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act No. XXXII of 2025), s. 29, which took effect on 13 November 2025. Its former text, as it stood immediately before the omission (for reference only), read:
(1) The Supreme Court shall, to the exclusion of every other court, have original jurisdiction in any dispute between any two or more Governments.
Explanation.—In this clause, "Governments" means the Federal Government and the Provincial Governments.
(2) In the exercise of the jurisdiction conferred on it by clause (1), the Supreme Court shall pronounce declaratory judgments only.
(3) Without prejudice to the provisions of Article 199, the Supreme Court shall, if it considers that a question of public importance with reference to the enforcement of any of the Fundamental Rights conferred by Chapter 1 of Part II is involved, have the power to make an order of the nature mentioned in the said Article:
Provided that the Supreme Court shall not make an order or give direction or make a declaration on its own or in the nature of suo motu exercise of jurisdiction beyond the contents of any application filed under this clause.
The equivalent provision now is Article 175E (Original jurisdiction of the Federal Constitutional Court).