• The Minister says four or five points need to be considered. JUI-F shares draft with parliamentary committee
• PTI remains in opposition and unable to share its proposals. Refusal to cancel October 15th protests
• JUI-F claims that the draft is consistent with the PPP, except for the Constitutional Court
• Taller said October 24 is the deadline for notification of new CJP.
ISLAMABAD: Majority excluding PTI agreed to change procedure for appointment of senior judges, but special parliamentary committee still failed to reach consensus on constitutional package, JUI-F advocates ‘Constitutional Court’ in place of constitution did. Constitutional Court proposed by the government.
The committee, which includes representatives from all political parties, including the PTI, met for the second consecutive day on Saturday amid reports that the draft constitution would be tabled in parliament by October 25.
A day after the PPP released the draft proposal, JUI-F shared the draft amendments with a committee chaired by PPP leader Syed Khurshid Shah.
The committee will meet again on Monday (tomorrow) to try to reach a consensus, and its chair will form a subcommittee to consider draft proposals submitted by both the government and opposition parties.
The subcommittee will submit its recommendations to a parliamentary committee, which includes Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, PTI leaders’ lawyers Gohar Ali Khan and Ali Zafar. Mr. Farooq H. Naek of PPP. and JUI-F leader Kamran Murtaza.
The parliamentary committee will meet again on Monday in hopes of reaching an agreement.
Participants in the meeting from the ruling party said homework would be completed in behind-the-scenes meetings. “PTI aside, we may be able to have an agreement ready by Monday’s meeting,” he added.
Senior PML-N leader Irfan Siddiqui told reporters after the meeting that the main parties agreed on key points and claimed the committee was close to reaching an agreement on constitutional reforms. He said the main objective of the Parliamentary Select Committee was to reach an agreement on constitutional amendments.
He expressed optimism about continued discussions with JUI-F, noting that recent meetings had brought a positive outlook. He said the government’s draft was completed after receiving suggestions from the legal community and bar associations.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has also submitted a separate draft that focuses on local government reform, although it agrees with broader constitutional reforms.
“PTI is the only political party that has not submitted anything in writing,” said Senator Siddiqui.
PPP-JUI consensus
According to JUI-F leader Kamran Murtaza, the only difference between the JUI-F draft and the PPP draft is the difference in the Constitutional Court. He said JUI-F is proposing a Constitution Bench instead of the Constitutional Court. JUI-F has no objections to the remaining parts of the PPP draft, he added.
The JUI-F leader said the party is opposed to the Constitutional Court as it is inappropriate to set up an independent court for just 200 cases.
“We are trying to achieve consensus and amend the constitution,” said Sen. Sherry Lehman, the Senate PPP parliamentary leader.
PPP leader Raja Pervez Ashraf echoed Murtaza’s optimism, with JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman proposing to draft a joint proposal with the PPP, which will be shared soon. He pointed out that it would be done. “Things are moving in the right direction. Stay positive,” Ashraf said, adding that the October 25 deadline was unrelated to discussions on constitutional amendments.
Justice Minister Azam Nazir Tarar emphasized the need for dialogue to reach agreement on the proposed amendments. He said the constitutional amendment bill could be introduced after October 25, or even two months later. He said the committee is still discussing four or five points.
Replying to a question regarding notifications regarding the appointment of new CJPs, he said the deadline was October 24, adding that notifications for new chief justices were always issued one to two days before appointment. He pointed out that the notification of appointment of Chief Justice Kazi Faes Issa was issued a little early in view of the formation of the caretaker government.
PTI Chairman Lawyer Gohar admitted that the party is yet to submit a draft. He said he would consult the party’s founding committee chairman before submitting the proposal.
Sources told Dawn that during a parliamentary special committee meeting, the PTI was asked to cancel or at least postpone its October 15 protest plans, but the PTI flatly refused. It is said that he did.
In response to a request, PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan said PTI activists were being harassed and their homes were being searched. Omar Ayub was quoted as saying, “It is our constitutional right to protest under these circumstances.” He claimed that this had never happened in the past.
Debunking this claim, Senator Irfan Siddiqui recalled the day he was picked up at his home during the PTI government.
“Unfinished business”
Meanwhile, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in a message on social media platform X shared the draft constitutional amendments proposed by the PPP and sought meaningful feedback from the people.
He said the proposal completes the unfinished judicial reform agenda outlined in the Democratic Charter. “We propose the creation of a Federal Constitutional Court with equal representation of all federal units.”
Bhutto-Zardari writes: “We also propose to end the process of appointing judges, by judges and for judges. Instead, by merging the Judiciary and Parliamentary Committees, Parliament, the Judiciary, Give the fraternity of lawyers an equal role.”
In a related development, PPP and JUI-F discussed the constitutional amendment bill at Zardari House.
Published at Dawn on October 13, 2024
