Neither a constitutional court nor a constitutional bench, a ‘third option’ was being proposed, Science and Technology Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said on Thursday as the ruling coalition gives a final touch to its drafts that would bring judicial reforms in Pakistan.

“A middle course is being taken,” he said when asked what has been finalised after the briefing by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar to the MQM-P on the proposed amendments to the Constitution. “This is being finalised.”

Cabinet members and leaders from the coalition parties in Islamabad as the government plans to present the constitutional amendment on Friday (tomorrow) amid PTI protests against such legislation.

Many legal experts are concerned that such proposed changes could undermine the independence of the judiciary by limiting the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction to only civil and criminal appeals or petitions

But ruling parties made significant progress on Wednesday in securing the backing of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman for their proposed judicial reform package.

According to sources, the draft includes amendments to Article 48 (president to act on advice, etc), further shaping the future of Pakistan’s constitutional framework. It also touches on Article 63-A (disqualification on grounds of defection, etc) following the Supreme Court’s verdict on the defection law earlier this month.

When asked about the “middle course”, Siddiqui explained that there would be “some amendments” which would satisfy the court and there was “clarity” in the complex situation caused by “some court decisions.”

When the host pressed the minister on his statement, he said: “There are more elements to be added from one or two main parties. I think there is a third option which can be discussed. An amendment after which we will be working with this current setup and there is a way for this [court or bench].”

More to follow…