PTI claims seven govt parliamentarians to vote 'against' proposed constitutional tweaks

ISLAMABAD: Seven National Assembly lawmakers of the coalition government, according to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, will vote against the proposed constitutional tweaks.

"Only in their books do the government's numbers appear to be complete," said Gohar to Geo News on Thursday. He said the government was afraid to hold consultation with its lawmakers or respond to their queries in this regard.

The PTI chief said he had received the news about the seven treasury benches members' refusal to cast vote from reliable sources.

"The government members said they will not vote even if they are disqualified," he said, adding that the legislators believe those voting in favour of the constitutional amendments would be doing so against their conscious.

Probably, he said, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also knew that parliamentary members of his own party were not going to vote for the amendment.

His remarks came as the Special Committee of the parliament met again on Thursday to discuss the draft amendments in the Constitution, proposed by the government.

Special committee's chairman Khursheed Shah said the meeting on the 26th constitutional amendment was convened at the request of the PTI chief whip Aamir Dogar.

The constitutional package, among other things, aims to set up a federal constitutional court and fix the tenure of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) for three years.

The government had attempted to present the bill to amend the Constitution last month, but its allies as well as members from the opposition benches vehemently opposed the proposal, forcing the administration to begin a consultation process.

To pass the constitutional amendments, the government requires a two-thirds majority in parliament, with sources indicating a shortfall of 13 votes in the National Assembly and nine in the Senate.

JUI-F 'disagrees'

Talking to journalists after coming out of the committee meeting, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub said he kept the "truths" before the committee.

He said coercive tactics were being used against those opposing the proposed constitutional amendments.

“PTI leader Zain Qureshi’s wife was abducted, Daud Shah and several MNAs and their family members were kidnapped, and a raid was carried out at my house. Members of the JUI-F were also threatened,” he said, apprising that the JUI-F had not yet shown willingness to agree to the government’s draft.

Hoping to reach a consensus on the amendments, Senator Irfan Siddiqui said it was a day of good and positive news today.

Expressing his party’s support for the government’s proposed draft, MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar said his party had decided to cooperate for the judicial reforms.

On the meeting, he said the dialogues were in favour of Pakistan.

Draft to be completed soon

The parliamentary committee’s meeting has been adjourned till noon on Friday.

Talking to media, after conclusion of the meeting, Shah said the constitutional amendments' draft would be completed in two days.

On PTI’s opposition to the amendments, he said the PTI members of the committee, Gohar and Ayub, were helpless as they did not have a mandate.

“We repeatedly asked the PTI for a proposed draft but they have not yet presented the amendments,” he said.

He blamed the PTI for the ongoing student protest as well, saying the political party was behind it.

To a query, the PPP leader said the PTI leaders apprised about abduction of their parliamentary members and the matter would be raised before the National Assembly speaker.

In his comment after the meeting, Gohar said the government presented its third version and a draft. In its third draft, the government had talked about a constitutional bench instead of court, he added.

“The government has not yet brought up its complete draft,” he said.

PTI to resist

A day ago, the PTI announced to stage countrywide protests on Friday against the proposed constitutional package.

“PTI political committee has decided to resist the constitutional amendments,” read a declaration issued by the opposition party on Wednesday.

Political heavyweights — the Sharif brothers, President Asif Ali Zardari, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman — also reached a consensus on judicial reforms during a late-night meeting at the Sharif family's Jati Umra residence in Lahore on Wednesday.

Following the late-night consultations on the constitutional package, Fazl, Bilawal, and Dar addressed the media.

Maulana Fazl announced that consensus had been reached on judicial reforms, with further consultations to be held on additional proposals.

He added that he would meet with PTI leadership after returning to Islamabad, and their input would be incorporated into the constitutional amendment.

Fazl reiterated his party’s previous rejection of the initial amendment, emphasising that this stance remains unchanged.

He stressed the importance of resolving major issues through comprehensive discussions. "If we engage in detailed dialogue on key matters, both the country and the Constitution will be safeguarded," he said.

Bilawal thanked Maulana Fazl for his role, noting that while the PPP and JUI-F had already agreed, three political parties had now reached a broader consensus. "We seek the supremacy of the Constitution through constitutional courts and demand swift justice," he added.

The PPP leader further stated: "At the right time, we will ensure the proposed amendments are passed by both Houses of Parliament."

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also confirmed that the three parties had agreed on judicial reforms, with consensus expected on other proposed amendments in the coming days.