LAHORE: Well before the 26th constitutional amendment was put to vote in Senate, the PTI announced it would hold protests outside the residences of those who would defy party policy by voting in favour of the 26th constitutional amendment.

However, the government managed to pass the 26th Amendment bill in Senate, without requiring the votes of PTI members.

PTI’s Punjab chapter information secretary Shaukat Basra earlier declared that any party senator or MNA who supported the amendment would be considered a “traitor”, both in Pakistan and abroad.

He said such individuals would be treated like former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Basra likened such figures to dictators ranging from the Pharaoh to Pervez Musharraf, all of whom were proud to have absolute authority, thought that they would stay forever and unleashed fascism, but eventually, they all were eliminated. “Whatever fascism is happening in Pakistan, the people will witness its end as well,” he said. “We reject the 26th army constitutional amendment.”

In a separate tweet, Mr Basra said traitors had no compulsion as they sold their conscience. “When the PTI senators and MNAs will come to vote for the 26th amendments, they will not come at gunpoint nor be able to say they were kidnapped,” he stated.

After the government successfully passed the amendment in the Senate, Mr Basra questioned what further harm could come after its approval, alleging that the establishment had already imposed martial law.

He called on the PTI leadership to rally, stating that real freedom could never be achieved without coming out on the roads. He said PTI founding chairman Imran Khan “should give a decisive call for the party’s march towards Adiala Jail”.

Commenting on the amendment clauses, Mr Basra accused the establishment of seeking control over the judiciary to appoint judges who would serve their interests by violating the Constitution and the law. He alleged that the amendment was designed to secure the current government’s tenure and facilitate the continued victimisation of PTI and its founder.

In yet another tweet, he alleged that the establishment, with the backing of the Sharif and Zardari families and other “political orphans”, had taken control of the judiciary, desecrating the Cons­titution, the law and democracy.

PTI’s Punjab chapter acting president Hammad Azhar alleged that the government was in a hurry to take control of the Supreme Court after the retirement of Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa in an attempt to conceal the “farce” of the February 2024 elections.

Meanwhile, PTI workers have expressed frustration, asking how they can oppose the “unconstitutional amendments” when the party leaders were in hiding and failed to participate in protests. They noted that the government had successfully crushed demonstrations, rendering the party’s protest campaign ineffective.

Published in Dawn, October 21th, 2024