Constitutional court: PPP widens political consultations

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has accelerated its political consultations for developing consensus on the constitutional amendment for formation of the Federal Constitutional Court. 

In this regard, PPP Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman Tuesday held consultations with Minister for Religious Affairs and PMLQ senior leader Chaudhry Salik Hussain and ANP Senator Hidayatullah.

PPP Parliamentarians (PPPP) Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bokhari and Senator Shahadat Awan accompanied her.

Talking with the media after the meeting, Senator Sherry said the consultation, which took place under the guidance of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, marked a crucial step in the PPP’s efforts for establish a Federal Constitutional Court having provincial representation and ensuring fair and equitable judicial system.

She termed the meeting constructive and said parliament was the creator of the Constitution, and it must assert its rightful role.

“Our goal is to establish the Federal Constitutional Court in line with the 2006 Charter of Democracy, as envisioned by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto,” she said.

She said the backlog of cases in the courts had caused undue delays in justice, and it was crucial to take steps to address this issue.

“Globally, over 50 countries currently have functioning constitutional courts. The backlog of cases is alarming, with 60,000 cases pending with the Supreme Court and more than 2.2 million cases across the country,” she said. The PPP vice president was of view that channeling constitutional and political cases to such a court would save the higher judiciary’s valuable time to resolve the public cases.

She said the establishment of Federal Constitutional Court would also help avoid concerns about the judiciary’s involvement in politics.

“We want provinces to have representation in the Federal Constitutional Court, and we are striving for consensus on this matter,” she said, adding, “We are working to ensure that this constitutional amendment is person-specific.”

“Our consultations are not limited to political parties, as we are also engaging with the lawyers’ community and civil society to widen the circle of partnership. We want these amendments to be based on consensus from all stakeholders,” she said.

Sherry said the PPP was moving forward with everyone on board and there should be no impression that any bill would be passed through secretive or underhanded means. This is not our way. The PPP remains open to consultations with all stakeholders on this matter,” she concluded.