Proposed judicial package likely to sail through parliament by Oct 25, says Bilawal

Stressing the need for consensus among all the stake holders, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has predicted that the constitutional amendment would sail through parliament by 25th of this month.

During an interaction with journalists, the PPP chairman, however, distanced himself from the expected move, saying that it could be the deadline for the incumbent government but not for them.

“There is no deadline from our side for the constitutional amendment,” Bilawal explained his party’s stance on the matter.

A day earlier, Bilawal had said that the government wanted to get constitutional amendment passed before October 25, but doing so before the said date is "neither a necessity nor obligatory".

The former foreign minister, while speaking to a private TV channel, had said that the parliamentary legislative process gave the sitting government the right to amend the constitution to bring about reforms in the judiciary.

Talking to journalists today, the PPP leader said that they wanted to create consensus among all the political forces, including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, on the matter.

Last month, the JUI-F chief had categorically refused to support the government's proposal to extend judges' tenure or increase their retirement age.

In August, the coalition government made a futile attempt to pass a ‘closely-guarded’ constitutional package amid speculation about a potential extension in the tenure of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa.

However, the government had failed to even table the amendments in parliament after JUI-F chief refused to support the government's judicial package.

Ostensibly, the government was short of 13 votes in the National Assembly and nine in the Senate as the said legislation requires a two-thirds majority in both houses.

The PPP leader said that the government has the option to secure the magic number under "conscience voting".

“Despite this, efforts are being made to reach a consensus,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that the top court on October 4 set aside its earlier opinion on Article 63(A) — a clause which deals with defection by lawmakers — as a five-member bench led by CJP Isa unanimously allowed a review petition, filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association.

The move paved the way for defecting votes to be counted.

Responding to a question, the former foreign minister said: “We want judicial reforms and equal rights of provinces.”

To another question, the PPP leader said that the JUI-F chief had agreed on constitutional courts and judicial reforms.

“The government wanted to amend Articles 8 and 51 [of the Constitution] but PPP and JUI-F opposed [the proposal],” he added.

To another query, the PPP leader said that they gave Imran Khan-founded party opportunities on every issue but the incarcerated leader showed non-seriousness.

“Instead of politicians, the PTI-founder still wants talks with the establishment,” he added.

The PPP leader said that constitutional courts should be established in the provinces as well because these courts will provide immediate relief to the people.