KP CM Gandapur terms constitutional amendment 'anti-judiciary', vows to oppose it

PESHAWAR: After the incumbent government postponed tabling the prospective constitutional amendments, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Tuesday termed the legislation "anti-judiciary" and vowed to oppose what he called an "attack on democracy".

The opposition has increased the efforts against the incumbent government's constitutional amendment as the latter remains committed to tabling the legislation provisioning changes in the country's judiciary and the parliament.

The government pushed the proposed constitutional amendments 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 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) request last month for the early issuance of a notification regarding the appointment of the next top judge.

After efforts to convince the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) head to lend his support failed, senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Senator Irfan Siddiqui told Geo News earlier that the government's bid to table the constitutional package had been "postponed indefinitely".

"How did they think they could bring such a bill in a democracy?" KP CM Gandapur said speaking with journalists.

Terming the bill "an attack on democracy", the provincial chief executive vowed to defeat the government in the parliament. “We stand by the judiciary […] We will stand firm for our legitimate rights.”

"They [government] won't even be able to table the proposed amendments, let alone pass them through parliament," the chief minister said, pledging to move all constitutional avenues to stymie such legislation.

The government has mostly kept the proposed amendments under wraps; however, they did clarify that the package would not be person-specific.

Geo News obtained the details of the "closely-guarded" constitutional amendment bill, which sources claimed contains more than 20 clauses about changes in judicial and parliamentary system.

The key points of the bill likely include the establishment of a constitutional court, the merging of the judicial and parliamentary commissions responsible for selecting judges, and an amendment to Article 63-A of the Constitution of Pakistan, which addresses the disqualification of parliament members on grounds of defection.

Additionally, the modifications allegedly propose extending the tenure of Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and increasing the retirement age of judges.

It is important to note that, unlike any regular legislation, the government will require a two-thirds majority in parliament to pass these constitutional amendments.

Currently, in the National Assembly, the government is short of 13 votes, and in the Senate, it lacks nine votes to pass the proposed amendments.