ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s federal cabinet on Sunday approved a constitutional amendment package seeking to bring judicial reforms among other changes, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said, describing it as a “milestone.”
Sharif’s administration has been attempting to introduce a set of constitutional changes in parliament since last month which the country’s opposition and legal fraternity argue are aimed at granting more power to the executive in making judicial appointments. The government rejects these allegations.
The proposed amendments initially suggested establishing a federal constitutional court, raising the retirement age of superior judges by three years and modifying the process for appointing the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
During the cabinet meeting, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar once again gave a detailed briefing on the 26th constitutional amendment and the participants approved a draft of the amendments proposed by the coalition parties.
“The cabinet took the decision in the wider interest of the country while adhering to the oath of national development and public welfare,” PM Sharif was quoted as saying by his office on the occasion.
“By the grace of Allah, after stability of the country’s economy, a milestone has been achieved for constitutional stability and rule of law in the country.”
The draft amendment would now be tabled in the Senate and the National Assembly, upper and lower houses of Pakistan parliament, for approval, according to the law minister.
Former premier Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has alleged the government is using the amendments to grant an extension in office to incumbent Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, widely seen as aligned with the ruling coalition government. The federal government has rejected Khan’s allegations.
“The political committee of the PTI has decided to boycott the voting process in both houses of parliament, in case the government tables the constitutional amendments,” the PTI said in a statement on Sunday.
Law Minister Tarar earlier said the ruling coalition had worked out the draft after “broader consultation” with all political parties and their leaders in parliament as well as with legal representatives.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a key ally of the Sharif-led coalition government, has been spearheading efforts to woo opposition parties and prominent lawyers to accept the controversial amendments.
In a press conference on Saturday night, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Jamiat Ulama-e-Pakistan Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazl-ur-Rehman confirmed “major” disputes between both sides had been resolved after the government had removed some sections of the initial draft on which the opposition had expressed its reservations.
“The government agreed to withdraw all the contentious sections we objected to, paving the way for consensus,” Rehman told reporters. “At this stage, there are no major disputes between us about the amendments, and most of the contentious issues have been resolved.”
The JUI-F chief said ex-PM Khan’s PTI had been kept in the loop on discussions related to the amendments, adding that he received a message from the former premier which reflected a “positive approach” toward the constitutional amendments.