The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl rejected on Tuesday the legislation related to the Supreme Court and armed forces as it claimed that the government attempted to extend its tenure using clauses that were removed from the constitutional amendment’s original draft.
“The behaviour exhibited by the Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz is not democratic in any way,” JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghauri told reporters. “We reject legislation from the assembly with a fake mandate.”
The federal government steamrolled “key” bills — pertaining to the higher judiciary and the tenure of the services chiefs — through Parliament on Monday amid the opposition’s protest and sloganeering.
The six bills were passed from the National Assembly on Monday within 24 minutes, and then from the Senate in just 16 minutes, without allowing any debate.
They sought to extend the tenure of the chiefs of the country’s three armed forces and increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court and the Islamabad High Court.
He reiterated that JUI-F Chairman Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the party has rejected the two bills and called for the release of incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan.
Ghauri condemned the deprivation of facilities for the PTI founder and mentioned that there was a consultation regarding the government’s actions with Khan’s party. “The government is attempting to extend its own tenure rather than addressing other issues.”
The JUI-F added that they would join efforts with other opposition political parties to struggle both inside and outside Parliament.
In response to the question of whether PTI and JUI-F would work together, Ghauri said that the circumstances were different from before.
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When asked about the newly formed constitutional bench, which was established as a result of the 26th Amendment, and whether JUI-F acknowledges this mistake, the JUI-F spokesperson stated that negotiations often involve give-and-take.
He noted that they have managed to remove several issues from the original draft, including military courts, although some clauses were utilised by the government.
The JUI-F spokesperson added that if the release of the PTI founder was warranted on merit, then it should certainly be granted, emphasising that multiple cases should not be filed against an individual.
