- 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 Amendment to the constitution. He said the founder's opinion has come before them.
In this article
Raja made the remarks in a television talk show, where he also said that no direct talks have been held on the issue. His comments set out, as he described it, where the PTI founder stands on the 28th Amendment and how the party should be approached over it.
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 28th 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.
Put simply, Raja's position on the 28th Amendment is that any conversation about PTI's support should involve the founder himself rather than anyone else. He rejected the idea that talks had already been held to trade the party's backing for political relief.
His allegation about one-sided information adds a second strand to the argument. Raja suggested that the people making decisions are shaping what the founder hears so that they can obtain the decisions they want from him. This is an allegation by Raja, and the reports of his remarks did not carry a response to it.
Concerns over provincial powers and the 28th Amendment
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.
The concern, as Raja put it, is therefore twofold: the referendum move linked to the 28th Amendment and its likely effect on provincial legislatures. Both points relate to the authority of provincial assemblies, which he fears could be restricted.
Because he did not name particular provisions, his concern should be read as a general assessment rather than a clause-by-clause criticism. The details of the proposed amendment were not set out in his remarks as reported.
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.
The jail meeting was raised in the same remarks in which Raja spoke about the 28th Amendment. He described the meeting as one between two lawyers and the party founder, and said it appears to have been arranged for political ends.
The 28th Amendment explained: what Raja said
Here is a plain summary of the points Raja made about the 28th Amendment in the remarks reported.
- The PTI founder is not prepared to give a blank cheque on the proposed constitutional amendment.
- The founder's opinion has come before them.
- No direct talks have taken place to secure PTI's support in exchange for political relief.
- Anyone who wants to talk about the issue should talk to the founder.
- Those making decisions are accused of trying to feed the founder one-sided information.
- The referendum move appears aimed at restricting the authority of provincial assemblies.
- The jail meeting between two lawyers and the founder appears to have been arranged to serve political objectives.
Background: what a blank cheque on the 28th Amendment means
In everyday usage, a blank cheque means approval given in advance without setting limits or conditions. When Raja said the founder is not prepared to give a blank cheque on the 28th Amendment, he was saying the founder will not agree to it unconditionally.
The phrase also fits with Raja's other remarks. He said the founder's opinion has come before them, and that anyone with a proposal should speak to the founder directly. Taken together, these points describe a PTI founder whose consent, in Raja's account, is not automatic and has not been sought through direct talks.
What remains unclear
Several questions were left open in the remarks reported. Raja did not say which provisions of the 28th Amendment he believes would clip provincial powers, and he did not elaborate on the referendum move beyond saying it appears aimed at restricting provincial assemblies.
His comments on the jail meeting and on one-sided information are his own views and suspicions. No evidence for them was presented in the remarks reported, and no response from the government or from the lawyers concerned was included in the reports. Until such responses are available, these claims remain one side of the story.
What the reports do establish is Raja's stated position: the PTI founder is not ready to give a blank cheque on the 28th Amendment, and anyone wishing to discuss it should approach the founder.
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.
What is the 28th Amendment according to the reports?
The reports describe the 28th Amendment as a proposed constitutional amendment. Raja's remarks did not set out its provisions, so the reports do not detail what it contains.
Where did Raja make these remarks?
Raja, a PTI leader, made the remarks in a television talk show, where he said no direct talks have been held on the issue.
What does Raja suspect about the jail meeting?
He 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.
What does Raja allege about the information given to the founder?
Raja 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.
Has anyone responded to Raja's claims?
No response from the government or from the lawyers concerned was included in the reports. No evidence for Raja's suspicions was presented in the remarks reported, so they remain his own views.
What does a blank cheque mean in this context?
A blank cheque means approval given without conditions. Raja used it to say the PTI founder is not prepared to approve the 28th Amendment unconditionally.
Image: Usman.pg / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
