The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has called for a nationwide protest on Friday to oppose the proposed 26th constitutional amendment. This comes after the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) reached an agreement on the draft judicial package.
“PTI’s political committee has resolved to resist these amendments,” stated a declaration from the opposition on Wednesday.
PTI’s core leadership has instructed regional and local chapters to organize peaceful demonstrations against the government’s move to amend the constitution.
The statement emphasized that PTI would do everything possible to prevent the amendment from passing through parliament.
The contentious package includes provisions for establishing a federal constitutional court and setting a three-year tenure for the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP).
Last month, the coalition government attempted to pass a closely-guarded constitutional package, amid speculation about extending CJP Qazi Faez Isa’s tenure. However, the move stalled when JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman withheld his support.
Today, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja expressed support for JUI-F’s draft on the constitutional package during an appearance on a TV show.
Raja agreed with the JUI-F proposal for a constitutional bench, rather than a separate constitutional court, comprising the five most senior judges of the Supreme Court.
He noted that PTI had engaged with various political parties and suggested that Fazlur Rehman’s influence could prevent excessive changes.
Raja criticized the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, claiming they aimed to form a new court to appoint a CJP of their choice, which contradicts the principles of the 2006 Charter of Democracy signed by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also criticized the proposed amendments, questioning their purpose and alleging that they were targeted at PTI.
