The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced staging a countrywide protest on Friday against the proposed 26th constitutional package a day after the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) reached consensus on the joint draft of the contentious judicial package.
“PTI political committee has decided to resist the constitutional amendments,” read a declaration issued by the opposition party on Wednesday.
The constitutional package, among other things, aims to set up a federal constitutional court and fix the tenure of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) for three years.
Last month, the coalition government made a futile attempt to pass a ‘closely-guarded’ constitutional package amid speculation about a potential extension in the tenure of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa.
However, the government failed to even table the amendments in parliament after JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman refused to support the government’s judicial package, leaving the contentious amendments hanging in the balance.
Earlier today, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja backed JUI-F’s draft for the much-touted constitutional package.
Speaking on the Geo News‘ programme Capital Talk, Raja said: “The JUI-F’s draft is absolutely right.”
In its draft, the JUI-F proposed the establishment of a constitutional bench — instead of a constitutional court — in the Supreme Court to hear the constitutional matters.
The PTI leader suggested that the constitutional bench should comprise five senior most judges of the top court.
Responding to a question, Raja said that they held meetings with different political parties, adding: “There may not be as much destruction as they [ruling coalition] want because of Maulana Fazlur Rehman.”
He said that Maulana’s draft about constitutional amendment was better.
Slamming the PML-N-led government, Raja said: “They [PML-N] want to constitute a new court to appoint CJP of their choice.”
He said: “We will try our best so that the constitution cannot be attacked.”
Referring to the pact signed between slain Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in 2006, Raja said: “None of their goals match with the Charter of Democracy.”
This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.
