- Trar: No deliberations on the 27th Amendment were held at any government meetings.
- “The government believes that the Constitution has been ignored in the Supreme Court’s July 12 judgment on reservation of seats.”
- MQM-P Support for the Twenty-Sixth Amendment to Amend Section 140A: Malik.
ISLAMABAD: Information and Broadcasting Minister Ataullah Tarar on Monday rejected any possibility of the government introducing the 27th Amendment just days after the constitutional package was passed by a two-thirds majority in Parliament, and advised against speculation on the matter.
The minister said during his speech to Asharq Al-Awsat: “The twenty-seventh constitutional amendment was not discussed at any meeting of the government or the legal committee.” Geographic News “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saat” programme.
The statement came a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met in Lahore, where sources claimed that senior leaders of the ruling party discussed the “proposed 27th constitutional amendment focusing on provincial rights.”
Sources familiar with the matter said Geographic News The ruling parties agreed to present the 27th constitutional amendment with the aim of addressing the concerns raised by the provinces.
The meeting also decided to give confidence to opposition party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), government ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and other parties over the upcoming major legislation, sources said. He added.
He rejected news reports related to such an amendment, and said: “The draft (constitutional amendment) was not presented or discussed at the level of the government, the Minister of Justice, or the Attorney General, and a statement of its goals and purpose was not determined.”
He also described the 26th constitutional amendment as a “big step” in the context of legal reforms and promises enshrined in the Democracy Charter signed by slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in 2006.
“It is a milestone for the common man seeking justice, reducing waiting of cases and setting up constitutional bodies.”
In response to a question, Tarar said that the special parliamentary committee – headed by Pakistan People’s Party leader Khurshid Shah – is tasked with working on legal reforms.
He added: “It is an evolving situation, and if Parliament believes that there is a need for further legal reforms – which have many facets – then the committee must continue its work, which also welcomes the country’s democracy and Parliament’s sovereignty.”
Replying to another question, he said the government was not concerned about the inclusion of Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Muneeb Akhtar in the Practice and Procedure Committee of the Supreme Court, which was created for the purpose of resolving cases and constituting judicial panels.
However, he said the government had reservations about the Supreme Court’s July 12 ruling on reserved seats, which declared the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party eligible for reserved seats for minorities and women in Parliament.
“We have talked about the ruling repeatedly (…) Even the position of the Speaker of the National Assembly is there,” he said, adding that they believe that the Constitution and the law have been ignored and the Supreme Court should announce the ruling in line with the amendment to the electoral law. Bill 2024.
Asked about PTI’s stance, the minister said the former ruling party was part of the entire process and its reservations regarding the 26th Amendment had been removed. “PTI Chairman Advocate Gohar Ali Khan said they have approved 90% of the draft.”
He pointed out that the PTI movement announced protests only to “score political points” because it is part of the system, including a special parliamentary committee.
He claimed that the party founded by Imran Khan is divided into four to five factions, two of which belong to Bushra Bibi and PTI founder Aleema Khan’s sister. He added, “One group supports negotiations and another group calls for protest,” adding that the unity and division will remain the same.
‘No amendment related to the military court’
Separately, lawyer Aqeel Malik, the government’s official spokesman for legal affairs, rejected opposition claims that another constitutional amendment related to the military court was being planned.
He added: “A very wrong impression is being given that a military court will be established (in the next constitutional amendment or through any expiration clause). This is not the case at all.” Geographic News Capital Talk program.
He said that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, an allied party at the Centre, linked its support to the 26th Constitutional Amendment to the amendments in Article 140A that deals with strengthening the local body system.
The spokesman said that the MQM demanded that since the 26th Amendment mainly focuses on judicial reforms, the upcoming legislation should include amendments to the local bodies system.