JUI presents its amendments draft in special parliamentary body meeting

The meeting of the special parliamentary committee, formed to discuss proposed constitutional amendments package, ended in Islamabad on Saturday afternoon after constituting a sub-committee for reviewing the drafts regarding constitutional amendments presented by leading political parties, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

JUI-F of Maulana Fazlur Rehman also presented set of its proposals in the Saturday’s meeting. PPP and JUI were due to hold talks at Zardari House in Islamabad later today about the JUI’s draft.

JUI’s Senator Kamran Murtaza said their draft was only different from PPP’s regarding the constitutional court and the bench.

Anyone can take part in the sessions of the sub-committee which will present a report to the special parliamentary committee. “We have no objection with remaining part of the PPP’s draft,” he said and added “We hope for an agreement on a common draft soon.

The next meeting of the special parliamentary committee is likely to be held on October 17.

Dummy court

Talking to the newsmen, PTI leader Senator Ali Zarar said he was cent percent sure that the government did not have the numbers to get the constitutional package passed from the parliament.

“I don’t think there would be an agreement evolved even in the next meeting. We do not recognize these amendments as these will pave the way for dummy court in which five judges will be nominated by the prime minister,” he added.

Heated exchange of words

According to sources, there was a heated exchange of words between PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan and the government leaders present in the meeting.

When Omar Ayub raised the issue of PTI leaders’ arrest, Law Minister Azam Tarar said this was not the forum to discuss this issue.

Earlier, the meeting of a special parliamentary committee started with PPP’s Syed Khursheed Shah in the chair as the government sped up its efforts to develop a consensus among parliamentary parties on the issue.

Senior parliamentarians namely Syed Naveed Qamar, Azam Nazir Tarar, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Sherry Rehman and Farooq Sattar were among those who were present at the meeting.

Yesterday, the government had presented the draft of the proposed amendments at the meeting.

The PPP, too, had presented the draft in which there was a proposal to set up constitutional courts at the Center and in the provinces.   

The party had also suggested the constitution of a constitutional commission for the appointment of judges.

Yesterday, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar had presented before the committee the recommendations made by the country’s bar councils.

Today, the JUI-F will present its draft of the amendments.

Law minister says talks are solution to every problem

Speaking to the media prior to the start of the meeting on Saturday, the federal law minister said that contentious issues such as these amendments were resolved through negotiations. “There is a solution to every problem in the world,” he added.

The minister urged the detractors to go beyond criticism and also give their suggestions to bring about improvements in these amendments.

He regretted that there was a deadlock in the entire country.

PPP’s Khursheed Shah says JI has no objection to party’s draft

Senior PPP leader Syed Khursheed Shah said that every political party had the right to decide whether it wanted to talk to the other party.

He said that the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) had shown no objection to the draft which the PPP had prepared.

PPP’s Sherry Rehman says seniority not a criterion for judges’ appointment

Sherry Rehman, another senior PPP leader, said that the party was trying to make parties understand the spirit of these amendments. “PPP also develops consensus on matters of national security,” she added.

Dispelling the impression that the amendments were an attack on the Supreme Court, Sherry said that even Father of the Nation Quaid-e-Azam Ali Jinnah supported setting up a constitutional court.

“Nothing is perfect in this world. Even these amendments will not be perfect. But we will try to make them transparent.”

“The procedure for the appointment of judges varies from country to country. Nowhere in the world is seniority the criterion for the appointment of judges,” she claimed.

MQM-P’s Farooq Sattar says still to see amendments draft

MQM-P’s Dr. Farooq Sattar said that the party had not seen the draft of the amendments as yet.

He was of the view that the PPP, PML-N and the PTI supported or opposed the constitutional amendments keeping in view their own interests. 

Sattar said that the PTI was in favour of judicial reforms in the past. “But now it opposes them because they hurt the party’s political interests.”

Reporter: Rozeena Ali