Rejects proposed 27th Amendment
\nAsad Qaiser warns of \u201cchaos in country\u201d if \u201cNFC Award was tampered with\u201d in proposed amendment
\nISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Asad Qaiser on Monday rejected the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz\u2019s (PML-N) proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, saying the tweak would \u201cabolish the independence of the judiciary\u201d.
\nPML-N formally approached the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for their support in introducing the amendment, which would establish a Constitutional Court, and make certain changes to the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.
\nSpeaking exclusively to Geo News, Qaiser said that his party was ready to hold talks with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on the \u201crestoration of the Constitution\u201d and the NFC Award. However, he said that the PTI was against the establishment of a Constitutional Court, similar to its opposition to the constitutional benches in the 26th Amendment. Initiated by the PML-N and backed by PPP and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) among others, the constitutional amendment was challenged by the PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the Sunni Ittehad Council in the Supreme Court.
\nThe tweak, passed on October 21 last year, established constitutional benches at the Supreme Court and high courts.
\nQaiser, who has also served as the speaker of the National Assembly, said that the proposed 27th Amendment would \u201ccompletely abolish the independence of the judiciary\u201d.
\nThe PTI leader said that he had introduced an amendment to include a provision for appeal in the high court after conviction from the military courts.
\nDescribing the PPP as the founder and central force behind the 1973 Constitution and the 18th Amendment, he said that both the Constitution and the constitutional tweak were framed through consensus.
\nQaiser warned of \u201cchaos in the country\u201d if the NFC Award was tampered with in the proposed amendment, saying that smaller provinces were already complaining of not receiving their due share.
\nHe asserted that the PTI stood ready to hold talks with the PPP if the party took a stand against the 27th Amendment.
\n\u201cWe still hope that the PPP would play its role in protecting the Constitution,\u201d he added.
\nThe former NA speaker urged the National Assembly speaker to announce the opposition leader and \u201cremain neutral\u201d.
\nPTI has nominated Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai for opposition leader in the National Assembly, following party leader Omar Ayub\u2019s disqualification due to his conviction in the May 9 cases.
\nQaiser noted that appointments to Election Commission positions can only be made after the appointment of the opposition leader in the lower house.
\nPTI Senator Ali Zafar termed the federal ministers\u2019 statements about the 27th Amendment regrettable, saying that they \u201ckept lying\u201d about it.
\n\u201cIf the government wants to introduce a constitutional amendment, it should discuss it in the parliament,\u201d he said during his appearance on Geo News programme \u201cCapital Talk\u201d.
\nSenator Zafar maintained that the proposed amendment was aimed at tampering with presidential powers and the NFC Award.
\nThe PPP has \u201calways considered the 18th Amendment a trophy\u201d, he said, adding that the PTI would want to see its position on the amendment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rejects proposed 27th Amendment Asad Qaiser warns of \u201cchaos in country\u201d if \u201cNFC Award was tampered with\u201d in proposed amendment ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Asad Qaiser on Monday rejected the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz\u2019s (PML-N) proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, saying the tweak would \u201cabolish the independence of the judiciary\u201d. PML-N formally approached the Pakistan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":512452,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-512423","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n