- Vuda says PTI should have voted against the amendment bill.
- The PTI leadership has been blamed for guiding Imran Khan to the current impasse.
- He expresses his willingness to meet the PTI founder “if called.”
ISLAMABAD: After the 26th Amendment Bill, 2024, was passed in the upper house of Parliament, Senator Faisal Vawda criticized the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for its “double standards”, stating that the former ruling party supports the provisions but not the constitutional amendment itself.
“As the opposition, they should have voted against the amendment bill (…) It was all done with the understanding (and) planning of the PTI,” Vawda said while speaking to reporters outside the Parliament building.
He also criticized the current PTI leadership for guiding party founder Imran Khan into his current predicament, saying: “If Imran Khan had listened to me at that time, he would have been in a much better position today, instead of being in jail.”
He added, “The verbal abuse they suffered from Khan is also part of history,” expressing his willingness to meet the imprisoned former prime minister “if he is summoned.”
Meanwhile, the outspoken senator hailed the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment as a “historic achievement” and expressed satisfaction with the large number of votes he received.
“The people of Pakistan will now witness progress, prosperity and development as a result of this amendment.”
He said that with the passage of time, another constitutional amendment will be introduced in the future for the benefit of the country.
The coalition government finally approved the disputed 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2024, through the Senate, limiting the term of office of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to three years.
The draft law was presented hours after the Federal Cabinet approved the draft amendments after it had remained pending for weeks. The House of Representatives voted 65-4 to approve the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill with the required two-thirds majority.
Before the Senate session, PTI leader Lawyer Gohar Ali Khan announced that his party would not vote in favor of the proposed constitutional amendment in Parliament.
Lawyer Johar said, “The party will abstain from voting and will present its position while sitting in Parliament.” He also praised Maulana Fazl for his support in opposing the constitutional package.
“Imran Khan will always have the final say in party decisions, so we are taking all instructions from him,” the PTI chief said.
He noted that the founder of the PTI movement ordered them to conduct “further consultations because this legislation is very dangerous.”
“Given that we have no time for further consultations, how the bill is being handled and how our parliamentarians have been harassed, the PTI cannot vote in favor of this bill,” he declared.
Furthermore, he said the party “has no objection” if Fadl votes on the bill.