PPP, JUI-F have agreed on draft of constitutional amendments: Fazl

PML-N to start efforts to win support for proposed judicial reforms.

KARACHI/islamabad   -  The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) on Tuesday reached an agreement on the shared draft of the constitutional amendments.

“After detailed deliberation, I can say that our two parties have agreed on a draft [of the constitutional package],” Fazl said while addressing a press conference in Karachi after meeting with the PPP Chairman Bila­wal Bhutto Zardari. He said that he would also hold meetings with PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and PTI leaders in the days to come. “We will try that the (proposed) constitutional amendments are unan­imously passed (in the Parliament),” he added. Fazl visited PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in Karachi on Tuesday. In a press conference after their meeting, he said: “I can say this much after a long discussion that our two parties have agreed on a draft.” He said serious talks were held with the PPP and lauded Bilawal for playing a big role in achieving the consensus. Bilawal said there was a further need to build upon the consensus achieved today between the two parties, adding that the PPP was also invited to the Nawaz-Fazl meeting.

He hoped that the PPP-JUI-F consensus would convert into one with the PML-N as well. Bilawal said Fazl was desirous that this consensus includ­ed not only the government’s allied parties but also the PTI and other opposition parties. “If this [consensus] is possible and happens, then it will lend great strength to our constitutional process and it will bring improvement.”

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also stated on Tuesday that opposition to judicial reforms, including the establishment of federal constitutional courts, is driven by personal likes and dislikes.

In a message posted on X (formerly Twitter), Bil­awal referred to the opposition, said, “Their oppo­sition today is based on personal likes and dislikes or partisan positions on the politics of the mo­ment.” He further said that the PPP’s stance on ju­dicial reforms has been consistent for nearly two decades. “Our representatives, elected in every election under my chairmanship, have been given the mandate by the people of Pakistan to establish a Federal Constitutional Court with equal repre­sentation for all,” he said.

Bilawal said that the establishment of a Feder­al Constitutional Court has been a key part of the party’s manifesto since the 2007 elections, follow­ing the Charter of Democracy signed in 2006. 

He also attached relevant portions of the Charter of Democracy and the PPP’s manifestos from 2013 and 2024 to his message. The PPP Chairman said, “The PPP has fought every election since 2007 with the manifesto pledge of implementing judi­cial reforms, including but not limited to the estab­lishment of federal constitutional courts.”

Meanwhile, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will launch a final bid to win sup­port for the proposed constitutional amendments soon after the Shanghai Cooperation Organiza­tion (SCO) Summit ends in the federal capital Is­lamabad as the ‘number game’ remains unclear till date. According to party sources, soon after the SCO Summit, the ruling party would first, sit with the allies and then negotiate the matter with the JUI-F, a key party in the whole scenario. The Fa­zl-led party has so far not expressed its support for the amendments in totality as it urged the rul­ing coalition for a broader consensus. 

The ruling coalition needs 224 votes in the Na­tional Assembly and 64 in the Senate to pass its constitutional amendments. However, as per the parties’ strength, the government alliance has 212 lawmakers in the Lower House of the Parliament and 59 in the Senate; 12 short in the National As­sembly and 5 in the Senate to achieve the two-thirds majority required to make any constitution­al amendment. Interestingly, two of the treasury MNAs Adil Bazai (PML-N) and Ilyas Chaudhary (PML-Q) have announced not to support the con­stitutional amendments despite having a threat of being de-seated, making the passage of the amendments further difficult. After the Qazi-led Supreme Court bench annulled the previous rul­ing on Article 63-A of the Constitution and paved the way for horse-trading, the government is eye­ing the JUI-F as a whole and few of the PTI mem­bers to achieve the magic number.

Simultaneously, the government is exploring an­other option to achieve the “magic number” at least in the National Assembly. According to political ex­perts, the treasury may rely on the Election Com­mission of Pakistan (ECP) to achieve the required number of legislators despite clear directions from the apex court to implement the decision on the re­served seats that denies seats to the ruling coalition. Last month, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in a letter to the Chief Election Commission­er had stated that the Supreme Court verdict on re­served seats could not be implemented in light of the amended Election Act. However, the situation still re­mains unfavourable for the treasury when it comes to the Senate. The government is already short of 5 votes in the Upper House and a PML-N Senator Saa­dia Abbasi, sister of former PML-N Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, has publicly announced not to vote for the amendments. PTI’s Salman Akram Raja has said that the PM Shehbaz’s administration would complete the numbers only through coercion. The ruling coalition lost two-thirds majority in the NA a few months ago after the ECP suspended victo­ry notifications of 77 lawmakers elected on reserved seats denied to the SIC. The ECP moved a week after the Supreme Court suspended the Peshawar High Court’s judgement depriving the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council of reserved seats for women and mi­norities. The suspended lawmakers include 44 from PML-N, 15 from PPP, 13 from JUI-F and one each from PML-Q, IPP, PTI-P, MQM-P and ANP.