PESHAWAR: Awami National Party central senior vice-president Amir Haider Khan Hoti said on Tuesday that judiciary could explain the Constitution but not rewrite it.

Addressing a press conference at the Bacha Khan Markaz here following the party’s general council meeting, he said decisions by a three-member bench of the apex court on important constitutional matters were creating a wrong impression. “Weren’t there any other judges of the apex court except these three judges to decide important cases,” he said.

He said in one party’s case, the court had considered its head as a source of power, while in the case of the other the same role was accorded to the parliamentary leader.

He said it was regrettable that the Punjab government and 10 political parties had boycotted the hearing on the ruling of the Punjab Assembly’s deputy speaker.

“The Supreme Court becoming controversial would be unfortunate for Pakistan,” he said.

Mr Hoti said political issues reaching before the courts were a failure of the political forces,” he said.

He feared that in the case of elections before the electoral reforms, two-third majority would be given to a party for making controversial constitutional amendments.

“We are seeing attempts to roll back the 18th Constitutional Amendment,” he said.

He said without electoral reforms, all future elections would be controversial.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2022