Barrister Gohar Khan blasts government for concealing legislation\u2019s content, stating PTI hasn\u2019t reviewed it yet
\n ISLAMABAD
\nPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday fiercely resisted a proposed constitutional amendment the government is pushing through parliament, rejecting both the extension of judges\u2019 tenure and the increase in their retirement age.
\nThe government, determined to press ahead with legislation affecting the superior judiciary, is scrambling to court members from various political parties.
\nThe proposed amendments aim to increase the retirement age of superior judges by three years, sparking controversy and a political tug-of-war between the government and the opposition.
\nCurrently, Article 179 of the Constitution states that a Supreme Court judge shall hold office until the age of 65, while Article 195 sets the retirement age for high court judges at 62.
\nThe government\u2019s legal affairs spokesperson, Barrister Aqeel Malik, confirmed that the government is also considering revising the seniority principle in the appointment of the top judge.
\nCurrently, Article 175A of the Constitution mandates that the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court be appointed as the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) based on seniority. Well-placed sources informed Geo News on Saturday that the government, through the proposed constitutional amendment, plans to establish a constitutional court and amend Article 63-A, which addresses the defection of lawmakers.
\nDeputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar echoed similar sentiments in the upper house of parliament, stating that the \u2018Constitutional Bill\u2019 aligned with the provisions of the Charter of Democracy (COD), endorsed by all political parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
\nPTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan stressed that such significant changes in the constitution should only be legislated in the nation\u2019s and country\u2019s best interest, rather than for personal gains. However, he warned the government against \u201ctouching\u201d the Supreme Court.
\nWhen asked about his meeting with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Gohar acknowledged that \u201coffers\u201d were part of politics but clarified that the PTI had not made one.
\n\u201cI believe Maulana has taken a principled stance [on this matter], and he is sticking to it. Judges should not be granted extensions, nor should their [retirement] age be increased,\u201d he said.
\nThe PTI chairman warned that if passed, the legislation would tarnish the judiciary\u2019s reputation and compromise the judicial system.
\nOn the other hand, Advisor to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on Information, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, called the constitutional amendment nothing short of treason, describing it as an ambush on the Supreme Court.
\nHe further criticised the \u2018phoney\u2019 government for attempting to introduce a notorious amendment to the Constitution.
\nThe KP CM\u2019s advisor also picked apart the Pakistan People\u2019s Party (PPP) for being in cahoots with the government on the legislation. \u201cBilawal Bhutto, the grandson of the constitution\u2019s founder, Zulfikar Bhutto, is spearheading the amendments,\u201d he said. Saif further claimed that the coalition government was running from pillar to post to secure the \u201cmagic number.\u201d
\nSeparately, speaking to the media, PTI chief Gohar said such unconstitutional amendments should not be passed by the parliament. Condemning the lack of transparency, Gohar said that the content of the legislation had not yet been revealed. \u201cWe haven\u2019t even studied it. Is this amendment meant to target the judiciary?\u201d he questioned.
\n\u201cA government born in the dead of night does everything in the dark of night.\u201d
\nReferring to discussions with the JUI-F chief, Gohar expressed hope that the politico would continue to stand for the judiciary, describing him as a \u201cshrewd politician.\u201d He reaffirmed the PTI parliamentarians\u2019 full support for the party\u2019s stance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Barrister Gohar Khan blasts government for concealing legislation\u2019s content, stating PTI hasn\u2019t reviewed it yet ISLAMABAD Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday fiercely resisted a proposed constitutional amendment the government is pushing through parliament, rejecting both the extension of judges\u2019 tenure and the increase in their retirement age. The government, determined to press ahead with legislation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431398,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-431379","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n