LAHORE: Former law minister and PML-N’s Punjab chapter president Rana Sanaullah has said that with the passage of the 26th constitutional amendment, Pakistan is now safeguarded against “backdoor interventions”, as those channels have been permanently closed.

While addressing a press conference on Saturday, the PML-N stalwart said former chief justice Saqib Nisar played an “unconstitutional role” in the ouster of an elected leader, Nawaz Sharif.

“After Nisar’s intervention, the project (Imran Khan) was imposed by the establishment and judiciary, which brought Pakistan to the verge of economic default,” he said.

The PML-N leader said the original draft of the constitutional package presented by the government and the final one passed were markedly different.

Says PML-N gearing up for local govt elections in Punjab

“Flexibility was introduced to promote unity. The final draft, which was approved, was crafted in collaboration between Maulana Fazlur Rahman and PTI. We agreed to this for the sake of national solidarity. To reach a national consensus, we set aside our own 10 points.”

“With the 26th Constitutional Amen­d­ment, Pakistan will no longer suffer from such backdoor interventions, as those avenues have been sealed,” he said.

He claimed that the PTI had devolved into a “group of disruptors”, unwilling to negotiate on any matter.

Commenting on the appointment of the chief justice, Mr Sanaullah said it was initially proposed that the prime minister should appoint the CJP from among the three senior judges.

“However, Shehbaz Sharif declined to take this decision on his own and left it to Parliament to decide,” he added.

No deal

In response to a question about the bail of the spouse and sisters of PTI founder Imran Khan, the PML-N leader dismissed the notion of any deal. “This perception is completely baseless. Any deal would be made with us, as we are the legitimate authority. Unfortunately, the practice of targeting women in legal cases began during PTI’s tenure, when Shehbaz Sharif’s family women were dragged into court and Maryam Nawaz was imprisoned,” he said.

In Saturday’s meeting, discussions focused on the upcoming local government elections. “We are gearing up for local government elections in Punjab, and once elected, we aim to strengthen the local bodies,” he concluded.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2024