Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has claimed that the government has enough numbers to pass the constitutional amendment through Parliament as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle meet JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to finalise the draft.

“Our numbers are complete. We are trying that most of the people accept this [constitutional] amendment,” he told reporters at the Parliament House in Islamabad on Saturday.

Described as the 26th constitutional amendment, the legislation aims to change the process of appointments of the chief justice of the Supreme Court.

A special parliamentary committee made a major breakthrough in the draft of the legislation as panel head Khursheed Shah announced that the committee has “unanimously” approved the draft.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan also spoke on the same wavelength. But Gohar, Fazl and BNP-M chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal demanded that their lawmakers should not be coerced to vote for the legislation.

Bilawal has also expressed concerns about such reports and urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to resolve such issues.

“The major purpose of this amendment is to establish the supremacy of Parliament which is guaranteed in the Constitution,” Asif said, “we want to end the encroachment on our turf so that Parliament, which is omnipotent, is enforced and reestablished.”

He claimed that such cases were given by Supreme Courts that allegedly encroached on Parliament’s supremacy over the past many years.

The judiciary should play its role as defined in the Constitution, Asif said and added that all parties agree on the fact that Parliament’s supremacy should not be compromised.

The defence minister expressed hope for reaching a consensus and claimed that the government has “numbers complete.”

While reacting to reports that lawmakers were being abducted, he said that such lawmakers should be named and slammed a “political party for making fake narrative.”

Asif claimed that all lawmakers were available on the telephone and in person.

According to the defence minister, the constitutional amendment would be passed through Parliament.

When asked, he said that the legislation would be presented if consensus was not reached among political parties. But he clarified that the government’s priority was having consensus.

“We are trying to convene a session today,” Asif said and added that he was unaware of the demands, if any, set by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

“I don’t there is any issue with Fazl. He was of the view that the PTI should have access to its leadership. Fazl asked us to do it and we did it,” he said.

In response to a question whether senior puisne judge Justice Mansoor Ali Shah would be the next chief justice of Pakistan, he said: “Amendment will tell.”

More to follow…