ISLAMABAD: The top official of a leading Pakistani political party, which played a key role in helping Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif form his coalition government, said on Tuesday he did not want a “person-specific system” when asked about a major constitutional amendment package the government plans to push through the national parliament.
The package, which proposes 52 amendments to the supreme national document, was expected to be tabled in the National Assembly and Senate during the last session but was postponed since the government did not have enough numbers to meet the required two-third majority.
The Sharif government is proposing to increase the retirement age of superior judges by three years and revisit the seniority principle in the appointment of the country’s top judge.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party of jailed former premier Imran Khan has criticized the constitutional package, saying it is meant to grant an extension to incumbent Supreme Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who is widely believed to be aligned with the ruling coalition and in opposition to its chief rival, the PTI.
“I do not want to create a person-specific system that rules someone in or out,” Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), whose support is vital to the government, told ARY News during an interview. “I believe any decision should be made through consultation. There’s no harm if such consultation happens between the executive and the judiciary.”
In response to a question about whether a new chief justice would take oath in October when Isa is scheduled to retire this year, Bhutto-Zardari said he had “no doubt that the next chief justice will be Mansoor Ali Shah.”
The Pakistani lawyers’ associations have already maintained the government is trying to undermine “the unity of the judges” through the constitutional amendment package.
Many believe that Pakistan’s judiciary is divided among judges widely seen to be favoring one political party or another.
The PPP leader maintained neither the judiciary not parliament was working properly.
He also noted that the Supreme Court was primarily consuming its time while adjudicating political matters that occupied nearly 15 percent of its workload.
Key Pakistani politician rejects ‘person-specific system’ amid push for constitutional amendments
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Key Pakistani politician rejects ‘person-specific system’ amid push for constitutional amendments
- Bilawal Bhutto says any decisions regarding laws related to the judiciary should be made through consultation
- He says the Supreme Court is consuming much of its time on political matters occupying 15% of its workload
ADB, Pakistan sign over $300 million agreements to undertake climate resilience initiatives
- Pakistan ranks among nations most vulnerable to climate change and has seen erratic changes in weather patterns
- The projects in Sindh and Punjab will restore nature-based coastal defenses and enhance agricultural productivity
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed more than $300 million agreements to undertake two major climate resilience initiatives, Pakistan’s Press Information Department (PID) said on Tuesday.
The projects include the Sindh Coastal Resilience Sector Project (SCRP), valued at Rs50.5 billion ($180.5 million), and the Punjab Climate-Resilient and Low-Carbon Agriculture Mechanization Project (PCRLCAMP), totaling Rs34.7 billion ($124 million).
Pakistan ranks among nations most vulnerable to climate change and has seen erratic changes in its weather patterns. In 2022, monsoon floods killed over 1,700 people, displaced another 33 million and caused over $30 billion losses, while another 1,037 people were killed in floods this year.
The South Asian country is ramping up climate resilience efforts, with support from the ADB and World Bank, and investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, particularly in vulnerable areas.
“Both sides expressed their commitment to effectively utilize the financing for successful and timely completion of the two initiatives,” the PID said in a statement.
The Sindh Coastal Resilience Project (SCRP) will promote integrated water resources and flood risk management, restore nature-based coastal defenses, and strengthen institutional and community capacity for strategic action planning, directly benefiting over 3.8 million people in Thatta, Sujawal, and Badin districts, according to ADB.
The Punjab project will enhance agricultural productivity and climate resilience across 30 districts, improving small farmers’ access to climate-smart machinery, introducing circular agriculture practices to reduce residue burning, establishing testing and training facilities, and empowering 15,000 women through skills development and livelihood diversification.
Earlier this month, the ADB also approved $381 million in financing for Pakistan’s Punjab province to modernize agriculture and strengthen education and health services, including concessional loans and grants for farm mechanization, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, and nursing sector reforms.
