ISLAMABAD   -  Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday rejected the proposed constitutional amendments the government is pushing through the parliament, rejecting both the increase in the retirement age of the judges and the extension in their tenure.

Talking to the media, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan stressed that such significant amendments in the Constitution should only be legislated in the nation’s best interest, rather than for personal gains. However, he warned the government against “touching” the Supreme Court. The proposed amendments aim to increase the retirement age of superior judges by three years, which has sparked controversy and led to a political tug-of-war directly between the government and the PTI. Currently, Article 179 of the Constitution states that a Supreme Court judge shall hold office until the age of 65, while Article 195 sets the retirement age for high court judges at 62.

The PTI chairman warned that if passed, the legislation would tarnish the reputation of the judiciary and compromise the judicial system of the country.

The government, determined to press ahead with legislation affecting the superior judiciary, scrambled throughout the day to woo JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and court members of the BNP-Mengal. Party head Akhtar Mengal is out of the country nowadays. As the political meetings continued, the parliament sessions got delayed.

A PTI delegation comprising Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Asad Qaisar, Shibli Fraz, Sahibzada Hamid Raza and Omer Ayub reached the residence of Maulana Fazlur Rehman soon after the government delegation left the latter’s residence in the evening. The PTI has denied making the JUI-F chief an offer on the amendments, saying the JUI-F Chief sticks to his “principled” stance on the matter.