ISLAMABAD: The government on Sunday made another attempt to woo JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman into its side on the issue of proposed constitutional amendments.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar went to the JUI-F emir’s residence and invited him to participate in the Multi-Party Conference (MPC) being convened by the government today (Monday) to express solidarity with the people of Palestine.

Reports suggest that several other issues, particularly the proposed constitutional amendments, came under the discussion at the meeting.

According to sources, the Maulana accepted the invitation and assured the deputy premier that he would take part in the MPC.

In meeting with JUI-F emir, Dar also discusses proposed constitutional amendments

The government is expected to introduce the controversial constitutional package during the week starting on Monday aimed at establishing a constitutional court and re-devising the procedure for the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court. The last abortive attempt was made on Sept 14-15 when the government failed to have two-thirds majority in the Senate and the National Assembly required for the passage of a constitutional amendment.

The ruling coalition led by PML-N, in the house of 336 members, has 214 votes in the National Assembly. The government requires at least 10 more votes to reach the magic number and therefore needs JUI-F’s votes in both houses of parliament.

So far, the JUI-F’s stance has been uncertain with one day Maulana Fazl expressing willingness to support the package but opposing it the other day.

Meanwhile, the human rights cell of PPP has said that a historic opportunity has presented itself to do away with a chaotic approach to the Constitution by setting up a federal constitution court and streamline the procedure for the appointment of judges to guard against a dangerous tendency of a judiciary of the judges, for the judges, by the judges.

Speaking at a dialogue with civil society at SZABIST on Sunday, PPP human rights cell president and ex-senator Farhatullah Babar said that appointment of judges had been dangerously centralised as then-chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry had alone appointed over a hundred and sacked another hundred judges all by himself.

“It is not to question the competence and integrity of judges thus selected by one individual. It is a far more serious issue namely stuffing the superior courts with likeminded judges and turning it into a monolithic unit like a military battalion,” he added.

Mr Babar said it was an irony that judiciary had allowed generals and itself to re-write and superimpose the Constitution, but denied people to exercise this right through their elected representatives in parliament.

“A constitutional court is needed to address constitutional issues alone so as to reduce burden of cases of ordinary litigants and inject an element of provincial balance in addressing constitutional issues.

“If the political power has been ratio­nalised among provinces by setting up the Senate, why the judicial power should also be not balanced between the provinces by providing for equal number of judges from all provinces in it,” he emphasised.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2024