ISLAMABAD: Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, rejecting the draft of Constitutional Package, made it clear hre on Wednesday (18th September, 2024) that it was in no way acceptable.

Lawmakers from far and wide had converged in the capital where Constitutional Package was expected to be tabled in the NA on 15th September as JUI-F and PTI refused to vote sans pondering over the bill profoundly.

Sane Pakistanis went haywire wondering why the government was keeping the Constitutional Amendments affair secretive? Cynics maintained that the Parliament was being used as rubber stamp to make the judiciary subservient.

Initially the NA session was supposed to commence at 11.30 AM, then 4 PM and later tentatively at 8 PM. Similarly, the Federal Cabinet, with PM Shehbaz Sharif in Chair, that was to meet at 11 AM and later at 3 PM. PML-N Supremo Nawaz Sharif was also supposed to attend the Cabinet Meeting.

The Senate session was eaxpected to convene at 10 PM Sunday. earlier it was slated for 4 PM and then rescheduled to 7 PM.

Savants at the helm of affairs maintained that the Package could not be tabled until JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman agreedto vote. Meanwhile, PTI delegation also negotiated with Fazl. JI had claimed that the parties were engaged in buying and selling votes. It is pertinent to mention here that treasury benches harbours 54 votes i.e.: short of 9 votes to pass the Package. JUI-F’s 8 votes can be decisive in this state of affairs.

On 14th Sept, BNP-M Chief Akhtar Mengal had revealed that two of his party’s senators were being pressurised to vote Constitutional Package that is a set of propose amendments to the Constitution.

* Establishment of Constitutional Courts; Modus Operandi of sacking the judges; Selection of CJP from amongst the Topmost Senior Judges; Amendment in Articles 63, 51, 175, 181, and 187; Augmentation of the Seats in Balochistan Assembly from 65 to 81; Services of IHC Judges to be available to Provincial High Courts.

The government pushed the proposed constitutional package amid speculation about a potential extension in the tenure of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, who is set to retire in October this year, following the PTI’s request last month for the early issuance of a notification regarding the appointment of the next top judge.

The ruling coalition left no stone unturned to woo the ‘fate-decider’ Fazl, with leaderships of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) holding a flurry of meetings with the cleric, but to no avail.

Despite claims of securing the “magic number” needed to push the bill through, the government failed to table the amendments in parliament and postponed its move indefinitely — a development confirmed by PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui.

The amendments allegedly include legislation to extend the tenure of CJP Isa as well as an increase in retirement age of the judges. To pass the constitutional amendments, the government is short of 13 votes in the National Assembly (NA) and nine in the Senate.

The PTI and JUI-F, which have been arch-rivals traditionally, found common ground after the February 8 general elections and expressed mutual concerns over the alleged interference and manipulation during the polls.

Former NA speaker Asad Qaiser hosted a luncheon in honour of the JUI-F head in Islamabad today, which was also attended by other PTI lawmakers including Omar Ayub, Barrister Gohar and former president Arif Alvi.

Newspakistan.tv