LAHORE  -  An important meeting of leaders from three major political parties, aimed at building consensus on the proposed 26th constitutional amendment remained inconclusive as the leaders decided to continue the discussions on the contentious points.

The meeting was held over dinner at the Jati Umra residence of PML-N President Mian Nawaz Sharif.

Participants included President Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PML-N President Mian Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who discussed the proposed 26th Constitutional Amendment. Also present were Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazir Tarar, senior PPP leader Naveed Qamar, Maulana Asad Mehmood, Senator Kamran Murtaza, Maryam Aurangzeb, and Murtaza Wahab.

This meeting came a day after the PPP and JUI-F reached an agreement on a draft of the constitutional package during a meeting at Bilawal House in Karachi. Leaders from both parties stated they would now work to build consensus with other political parties including the PML-N and the PTI.

The discussions at the Raiwind huddle focussed mainly on three contentious issues within the proposed constitutional amendment: the establishment of a constitutional court, the fixation of a tenure for the Chief Justice of Pakistan, and the process for appointing judges to the superior judiciary.  Briefing the media after the meeting, the JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman stated that consensus has been achieved to the extent of judicial reforms, “but we are trying to reach an agreement on other issues”. He did not elaborate on “the other issues” which needed consensus. He also reiterated his party’s stance that he would not agree to the initial draft shared with him in any way. He made it clear that the coalition government will have to agree on the draft prepared by his party.  Fazal said he would meet the PTI leadership in Islamabad on Thursday (Today) to share with it the details of this meeting.

While the PTI opposes the amendment, other parties including the PPP, PML-N, and JUI-F, have prepared separate drafts. A committee formed by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and led by PPP’s Syed Khursheed Shah is also working to reach consensus on judicial reforms.

Meanwhile, PTI’s political committee announced plans to oppose the constitutional amendments and called for nationwide protests on Friday against the proposed package and the incarceration of party founder Imran Khan. The committee instructed regional and local organizations to hold vigorous but peaceful protests at all district headquarters following Friday prayers, emphasizing their rejection of any government attempts to distort the Constitution through amendments.

The committee appealed to all who support constitutional supremacy to participate in the peaceful protests and agreed to make every effort to block the amendment in parliament. However, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja expressed no objections to the JUI-F’s draft of the Constitutional Package, suggesting that Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s efforts might help ensure the Constitution remains intact.

Speaking on a news channel, Akram Raja stated that PTI does not recognize the current assembly’s authority to amend the Constitution. He noted, “In this process, we’ve engaged with Fazl and the JUI-F. They understand our stance, which has now come to light.”

When asked if he opposed a constitutional bench, he clarified, “We are not against a constitutional bench; the Pakistan Bar Councils are not against it. Judges will need to come from the Supreme Court. If there are concerns about excluding judges from the constitutional bench, that would be problematic.”

Raja characterized the JUI-F’s draft as “fine” and mentioned that the party suggested the five senior-most Supreme Court judges comprise the bench. He reiterated, “This is not a party stance; we do not accept this privilege, but we are open to discussion and debate.”