Pakistan ruling coalition ally prepares new draft of controversial constitutional amendments

People stand outside the Parliament house during a budget session in Islamabad on June 26, 2024. (AFP/File)

• Sharif-led ruling coalition did not table amendments in parliament last month after failing to secure two-thirds majority
• Pakistan’s legal fraternity, opposition say amendments aim to increase government’s influence in judicial appointments

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a key ally of the ruling coalition government, has prepared a new draft of the controversial constitutional amendments on judicial reforms and lawmakers’ defection, a member of the party confirmed on Wednesday, saying that it wanted to develop a “wider consensus” among political stakeholders and the civil society before tabling it in parliament. 
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition government failed in its bid to table the constitutional amendments in parliament last month, admitting it did not have the required two-thirds majority for its approval. 
The proposed amendments, expected to establish a federal constitutional court, raise the retirement age of superior judges by three years, and modify the process for the appointment of chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, have been rejected by opposition parties and the country’s legal fraternity, who say they are aimed at curtailing the judiciary’s independence. The government denies the allegations. 
Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party protested against the proposed constitutional amendments in Islamabad last week. The three-day protests triggered clashes between Islamabad Police and the PTI, causing the death of one constable and injury to 31 other cops, police said. 
“Obviously a new draft has been prepared for consultations but nothing is final at this stage,” PPP lawmaker Sehar Kamran told Arab News. 
“We have been contacting all political parties and civil society organizations to develop a wider consensus on the amendments.”
The PPP is leading the campaign to build consensus among political parties and civil society on the amendments. The party has shared a draft of the proposed amendments with the Jamiat Ulama-e-Pakistan Fazl (JUI-F) religious party. The JUI-F, however, has not given its assent to the PPP’s draft. 
“There is no deadline for it but we are hopeful to complete the consultation process as quickly as possible,” Kamran said. 
The party’s senior leadership met Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) on Wednesday to secure his support for the proposed draft. 
Mehboob said the PPP did not share its draft of the amendments but told him that they have removed “controversial articles” from the previous 54-point draft that was rejected by opposition and prominent lawyers.
“The delegation gave an impression as if they are prepared to push through the amendments before Oct. 25,” Mehboob told Arab News. 
Pakistan’s incumbent Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa is set to retire on Oct. 25. The opposition PTI party led by Khan has accused the government of using the amendments to secure an extension in Isa’s tenure. 
The PTI alleges that the judge is biased in favor of its chief rival, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. The judge and the government both reject the allegations. 
“The government may elevate him to the constitutional court or extend his tenure as the chief justice,” Mehboob said. 
The PILDAT president said he had raised questions with the PPP leadership over some “controversial” points in the amendments, such as the extension in the tenure of the chief election commissioner and four other members of Pakistan’s election oversight body.
The PML-N did not respond to Arab News’ repeated calls to the party’s spokespersons and their leaders for comments. 
Meanwhile, the JUI-F said it has prepared its draft of constitutional amendments and will hand it over to the PPP for their perusal. 
“Our draft is neither time-bound nor person-specific,” the JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghauri told Arab News.
“As a political party, we have become part of the consultations and there is no guarantee at this point that we will vote or oppose the treasury benches’ draft.”