After weeks of negotiations, the Pakistani government intends to reintroduce its constitutional package to parliament in the first week of October, expressing confidence in securing the necessary support for its passage.
Senator Irfan Siddiqui, the parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the Senate, told reporters that the package is likely to be presented to the Senate in the first week of October. However, he stressed that the passage of the constitutional amendments is contingent upon securing the support of Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, the head of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), particularly within the Senate.
Siddiqui stated that the ruling coalition is in contact with Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, who supports the concept of a constitutional court but has sought clarification on key issues, including the number of judges, appointment procedures, tenure, retirement age, and service structure. He clarified that the proposed constitutional court would be federal in nature and represent all provinces.
Siddiqui also reminded reporters that the establishment of a constitutional court was agreed upon in the Charter of Democracy signed between former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto in May 2006. He added that this proposal had received support from all major political leaders, including Imran Khan, founder of the PTI.
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Regarding proposed changes to the judicial appointment process, Siddiqui recalled that before the 18th Amendment, the Chief Justice of Pakistan and provincial Chief Justices played a significant role in judicial appointments. The 18th Amendment, passed in 2010, aimed to restore the balance of power, introducing two methods: a judicial commission headed by the Chief Justice and an eight-member parliamentary committee with equal representation from the government and opposition.
However, he expressed regret that the 19th Amendment, passed under pressure from the then-Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, effectively neutralized Parliament’s role in the appointment process. Siddiqui stated that Parliament inadvertently approved the 19th Amendment, crippling the parliamentary committee’s role in judicial appointments. The current proposal, he explained, aims to revert to the system established by the 18th Amendment, restoring a more meaningful role for Parliament.
