Proposed amendments not presented before cabinet yet, clarifies law minister. Defence minister tells NA govt seeking consensus on constitutional package. Asad Qaiser says PTI will launch street protests against proposed package.
ISLAMABAD - The sudden prorogation of both the houses of Parliament (the National Assembly and the Senate] indicates that the ruling alliance has decided to place the proposed ‘constitutional package’ on the backburner for the time being, with the targets to resolve the differences with smaller parties and meet their demands.
In order to achieve the required numbers to ensure constitution amendment in the Parliament, the ruling clique will take around a week to ‘woo’ religio-political party chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman, who is currently centre of attention in the country’s politics.
The deadlock on some of the main clauses on a constitutional package most likely to be resolved by holding a series of parleys with Maulana Fazlur Rahman by the delegations of main coalition partners [PML-N and PPP]. The consensus on the draft by all the parties is near to impossible in the current political scenario. The complete draft of the constitutional package might not be approved but most of the amendments will be passed by achieving magic figures in both the houses, background discussions with senior politicians revealed.
PML-N’s senior politician Riaz Hussain Pirzada, talking to The Nation, revealed that the deadlock will not continue for more than a week. “It is a complete political show. All the reservations and demands related to the draft of the constitutional package would be removed,” he said, hinting that deadlock on a clause related to the extension of the chief justice of Pakistan might persist.
Former attorney general of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali said that this constitutional amendment is the need of the hour. “All the amendments proposed in the constitutional package might not be approved. I am seeing Justice Mansoor Ali Shah as chief Justice,” he remarked. The treasury benches lawmakers, in Mondays’ National Assembly proceedings, seemed confident to approve its constitutional package by removing differences.
Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif, with the onset of the proceedings, said that the proposed constitutional package will surely be presented in the Parliament after evolving consensus on it. “It is the wish of the government to evolve maximum consensus, as there is no intention to trespass in the boundaries,” he said, adding that this package is an attempt to correct the constitutional imbalances and undo the 19th Amendment.
“The PML-N and the PPP had signed the Charter of Democracy (CoD) and it is our effort to bring amendments in the constitution that aligns with this broad based consensus document,” he said, arguing that there are several countries where these constitutional courts exist. “There is no political interest, we want to reduce the burden on the judiciary and bring ease in the lives of the people,” he remarked.
Sharing some of salient features of the proposed draft, Minister for Law Azam Tarar, responding to the objections raised by PTI’s Asad Qaiser, said that a controversial ‘Constitutional Package’ has not been presented before the federal cabinet yet. He said, “This package is a set of amendments to the Constitution, one of which will aim to fix the tenure of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) for three years.”
The minister said the proposed amendments had not yet been presented before the federal cabinet as a draft nor in the CCLC (Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases)”. A constitutional amendment first needs to be cleared by the federal cabinet, he clarified.
Tarar said the process of talks has been started with the Parliamentary Parties in the Senate and National Assembly on the constitutional package. He was confident that it would be their effort to evolve consensus on the document.
The minister asked the opposition parties to come up with positive recommendations instead of just criticising the amendments. “Our aim should be to provide relief to the people suffering over the last seven decades,” he said, sharing the clauses of the draft. The minister said the proposed package envisaged formation of the judicial commission as per the spirit of the 18th amendment and it was proposed to empower the judicial commission. This would help evaluating the performance of the judges of the high court.
PPP’s MNA Naveed Qamar, on his turn, was also not agreed to some of the clauses of the draft. He said the discussions on the constitutional package should be held in a congenial environment. “The Opposition should also sit together and work for the betterment of the country,” he commented.
MQM-P’s Farooq Sattar said that his party should not be taken for granted. He proposed the strengthening local governments should also be made part of the constitutional package.
Earlier, former NA speaker and PTI leader Asad Qaiser said his party was considering boycotting the parliament sessions. “We will go on the street against this package. It is fraud,” Qaiser said, adding he would suggest the party to boycott the proceedings of the Parliament and the Standing Committees. He said they would not allow the Parliament as a rubber stamp. Qaiser, referring to the special committee’s report, commented that the law minister said he had no knowledge of the proposed draft. “From where this draft came?”
‘LACK OF TWO-THIRDSMAJORITY’
The much-awaited constitutional package remains in limbo as both the houses of the parliament were adjourned on Monday for an indefinite period of time – a development that has enhanced fear of a political cost for the ruling coalition.
The botched efforts of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led government to get the controversial constitutional amendment bill passed from the parliament has brought embarrassment for it with criticism coming out from its allies.
The government had summoned both the houses of the parliament over the weekend but despite its two-day long efforts, it could not get the amendments passed due to lack of two-thirds majority.
On Monday, the Senate met for a few minutes and adjourned sine die without holding a single line discussion over the constitutional package. Lawmakers belonging to the treasury say that the ongoing political crisis and instability is likely to worsen further if the ruling PML-N failed to get the package passed in the next few weeks.
A political source said that the present political set-up is fighting a battle of its survival and it is only the constitutional package that can ensure its continuity till completion of present assemblies’ term. He said the ruling coalition and the powers-that-be had been facing resistance from the present judiciary and this tension would increase in near future when the government has shown its cards through failed efforts of introducing the package.
The treasury members of the parliament believe that the government has made the majority of the superior judiciary more hostile, than in the past, by bringing the amendment bill and harsh decisions from the latter cannot be ruled out in future threatening the very survival of the present regime if things were not fixed at the moment. Senator Faisal Vawda, an independent lawmaker linked with the ruling alliance, minced no words in calling the Shehbaz Sharif government “incompetent and ineffective” for its failure to sail the constitutional package through the parliament. “This is exactly what you can expect from the incompetent and useless,” he said after the Senate session when asked by a journalist why the constitutional amendment bill couldn’t be passed despite two days of political commotion.
“The government members are coming out (of the parliament); ask them what they have accomplished,” he said, adding that he would give his analysis and prediction soon.
On the other hand, the government again renewed its efforts to convince Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUII-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to vote in favour of the package. According to the Parliamentary Leader of PML-N in the House Senator Irfanul Haq Siddiqui, Maulana has not fundamentally disagreed with the amendments but sought some time for deliberations.
We have got removed some controversial amendments from the bill and further deliberations are underway, JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza told reporters at the Parliament House.
‘CONSULTATIONS WILLCONTINUE’
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says ongoing consultations with all political parties regarding the constitutional amendment will continue.
He was talking to delegation of Pakistan Peoples Party, which called on him in Islamabad today under the leadership of Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Members of the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, and Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab were also part of the PPP delegation. The prime minister said amending the Constitution and legislation are within the purview of Parliament, which is the supreme institution. He said240 million people of Pakistan have entrusted Parliament with the mandate for legislation. He said the purpose of the proposed constitutional amendment is to ensure speedy and effective delivery of justice to the masses.
During the meeting, it was agreed that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and other senior party leadership will play their due role in this consultation process.
It was further agreed to engage political parties and hold consultation with them to reach any conclusion in the days to come. Talking about prevailing economic situation, the Prime Minister welcomed recent improvement in economic indicators. He said that inflation rate has dropped to single digit last month for the first time in several years. Shehbaz Sharif said the State Bank of Pakistan reduced policy rate by two percent, which has further bolstered investors’ confidence in the Pakistan’s economy. He said recent reduction in the prices of petroleum product is part of government’s efforts to provide relief to the public.
Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema, and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar were also present during the meeting.