- Salman Akram Raja says the PTI founder is not ready to give a blank cheque on the 28th Amendment.
- He says no direct talks have been held to secure PTI support for the amendment in return for political relief.
- Raja fears the referendum move could clip the powers of provincial assemblies.
- He voiced suspicion over a jail meeting between two lawyers and the party founder.
PTI leader Salman Akram Raja has said the party's founder is not prepared to give a "blank cheque" on the proposed 28th constitutional amendment. He said the founder's opinion has come before them.
Raja made the remarks in a television talk show, where he also said that no direct talks have been held on the issue.
If someone has to talk over the issue, they should talk to the PTI’s founder
Salman Akram Raja, PTI leader
No direct talks on the amendment
According to Raja, no direct talks have taken place to secure PTI's support for passing the constitutional amendment in exchange for political relief.
"If someone has to talk over the issue, they should talk to the PTI’s founder," he said.
Raja also alleged that those making decisions are trying to feed the PTI founder one-sided information in order to obtain the decisions they want from him.
Concerns over provincial powers
Raja voiced concern about the referendum move linked to the amendment. He said it appears to be aimed at restricting the authority of provincial assemblies.
In his assessment, the amendment would clip the powers of provincial legislatures. He did not elaborate in the remarks reported on which specific provisions he had in mind.
Questions over the jail meeting
The PTI leader also expressed suspicion about a meeting in jail between two lawyers and the party's founder. He said it seems the meeting was arranged to serve political objectives.
These are Raja's own views and suspicions, and no evidence for them was presented in the remarks reported. No response from the government or from the lawyers concerned was included in the reports.
Questions and answers
What did Salman Akram Raja say about the 28th Amendment?
He said the PTI founder is not ready to give a blank cheque on the 28th constitutional amendment and that the founder's opinion has come before them.
Have direct talks been held with PTI on the amendment?
According to Raja, no direct talks have been held for PTI's support in passing the amendment for political relief. He said anyone wishing to discuss it should talk to the PTI founder.
Why is Raja concerned about the referendum move?
He said it appears aimed at restricting the authority of provincial assemblies and that the amendment would clip the powers of provincial legislatures.
Image: Usman.pg / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
