Islamabad
\nJamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Thursday said that he will not cooperate with the federal government on the Constitutional Package at any cost, stating that such an amendment could not be rushed through parliament and requires consensus.
\nThe Supreme Court earlier today unanimously accepted a review petition against its 2022 verdict related to the defection clause under Article 63-A of the Constitution.
\nThe verdict, pronounced by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, could potentially provide major relief to the government in its attempts to garner the required support to make a set of amendments to the Constitution, multiple of which pertain to the judiciary.
\nFazl previously hinted at supporting the proposed formation of a constitutional court and did not reject the government\u2019s proposals to fix the tenure of the CJP at three years or to increase the age of a judge of the apex court. He added that the Package should not be \u201cperson-specific\u201d.
\nOne of Fazl\u2019s main points on the issue was the need for consensus among political parties.
\n\u201cWe want constitutional amendments to be made with consensus, ensuring they do not trigger political unrest in the country,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cI would like the government to postpone this amendment,\u201d the JUI-F chief said at a press conference today. \u201cPolitical differences need to be resolved and the opposition should cease protesting.\u201d
\nFazl also questioned the \u201curgency\u201d with which the government was trying to rush the amendment.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t understand the haste; there is no emergency,\u201d he said. \u201cIn its current state with its details and rules, it is incapable of being passed and supported.\u201d
\nTurning to history, the JUI-F chief recalled that constitutional amendments have taken time to implement and cannot be rushed.
\n\u201cEven the 18th Amendment took nine months to pass,\u201d he added. \u201cThey are asking to pass a Constitutional Amendment within a single day. This is not possible.\u201d
\nQureshi appeals to Bilawal to not rush amendment
\nPTI stalwart and ex-foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has asked Bilawal Bhutto to oppose the Constitutional Package, adding that he must listen to both civil society and lawyers regarding the amendments and their impact.
\nWriting a letter titled \u2018Let the Constituent Assembly of 1973 not be set on fire by the lamp of Bhutto\u2019 to the PPP chairman from prison, Qureshi implored Bilawal to not impose the 26th amendment without the consensus of parliament.
\n\u201cI do not doubt Bilawal\u2019s intention and I am aware of Bilawal\u2019s commitment to democracy but the nation is suspicious of the timing of this constitutional amendment,\u201d he wrote. \u201cSetting up a constitutional court without consulting parliament and all stakeholders will be tantamount to a PCO Court.\u201d
\nThe ex-minister referred to the Provisional Constitutional Order, an emergency power that suspends the Constitution in part or as a whole. In his letter, Qureshi added that any judges sworn into the constitutional court will be called, \u201cPCO judges\u201d.
\n\u201cAny amendment without consultation will not only undermine the independence of the judiciary but also weaken the Federation,\u201d Qureshi warned. \u201cI am sure you would never want that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Islamabad Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Thursday said that he will not cooperate with the federal government on the Constitutional Package at any cost, stating that such an amendment could not be rushed through parliament and requires consensus. The Supreme Court earlier today unanimously accepted a review petition against its 2022 verdict […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":278878,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-435111","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n