Party to discuss issue in Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting after Bilawal’s return from abroad.
ISLAMABAD - Key government ally, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is annoyed with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) on the recently constituted representation in Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), sources said.
Senior PPP leaders told The Nation that the resentment had been conveyed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The PPP believes there is an ‘imbalance’ in representation in the JCP. Bilawal complained to the PM that the government “has not honoured its commitment” to ensure equal representation in the JCP.
Sources said the PPP had withdrawn Bilawal’s name after the differences when the JCP was being constituted last week. The PPP and the PML-N had agreed that both parties will have equal representation in the JCP. The PPP argues that the Attorney General and the Law Minister, both affiliated with the PML-N, as members of the JCP compromise the agreement of equal representation. After the differences, Bilawal withdrew his nomination, leading to PPP leader Farooq H. Naek assuming a role in the JCP. Nominees from both the National Assembly and the Senate have now been submitted to the Supreme Court. Acting President Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani directed the Supreme Court’s Registrar to forward these nominations based on recommendations made by Leader of the House Senator Ishaq Dar and Leader of the Opposition Senator Shibli Faraz.
The list of members includes Senator Farooq H. Naik, representing the PPP, and Senator Shibli Faraz from the opposition. Opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan, Sheikh Aftab from the PML-N are in as members while Roshan Khorasani Brocha has been nominated for the reserved seat for women in the JCP. The recent approval of the 26th Amendment mandates that five members from parliament can be included in the Judicial Commission. PPP sources said the party will discuss the issue in the Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting after Bilawal’s return from abroad. “We will decide on how to move forward after the CEC meeting. Hopefully the PML-N will abide by the agreement and find a solution,” said a senior PPP leader.