ISLAMABAD - Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has warned of confrontation if the proposed constitutional amendments are not passed before October 25 — the retirement date of the incumbent Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
Informally talking to media persons here yesterday, Bilawal said in case the proposed constitutional package was not passed before the retirement of the incumbent chief justice, the country might face a face-off-like situation.
“The amendments would be passed even after October 25 but the situation might turn tense,” he asserted.
The coalition government led by PML-N last month had proposed a constitutional package amid speculation about a potential extension in the tenure of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa. However, the government failed to even table the amendments in parliament due to lack required number of notes.
The PPP chief reiterated that their party would continue pursuing the matter of constitutional court till its completion as it was the manifesto of their party and a goal set in the Charter of Democracy.
“We have already faced significant delays; our demands date back to 2006 and are part of our manifesto,” he added.
“Why a discussion is not being held on the timing of what the judiciary did,” he said, asking why the timing of the stay order on reserved seats verdict was not being questioned.
He mentioned that the head of the constitutional court would serve a three-year term and expressed his opposition to the establishment of military courts, emphasising that the justification for the federal constitutional court lies in the Supreme Court’s historical precedents.
To a question about his stance on former prime minister Imran Khan’s military trial, he said, “We need to assess the evidence first; after all, we have the authority to grant a presidential pardon.” He maintained that the PPP stands against the death penalty.
Bilawal also said that the decision on who would become the army chief and who wouldn’t became a game. He stated that the events of May 9 were the closest thing to a rebellion.
Separately, speaking to a private news channel, the PPP chairman said that the judiciary should be an apolitical institution, adding that the constitutional amendment wasn’t person-specific.
“We want reforms in judiciary,” he said, admitting that the federal government did not take its coalition partners into confidence on the proposed constitutional package. “The amendments could have been presented in a better way.”
Bilawal noted that Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar had apprised the Supreme Court judges of judicial reforms. “When the judges came to know about the amendments, they instantly announced the verdict in the reserved seats case,” he said, calling it a “direct interference”.