Pakistan

PTI to contact 'like-minded' political parties to stand with Constitution

Imran says entire nation must be brought together to stop the attack on the judiciary

Our Correspondent April 02, 2023

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, gestures as he speaks with Reuters during an interview, in Lahore, Pakistan March 17, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS

LAHORE:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has given his party leaders the task of communicating with like-minded political parties and civil society to stand with the supremacy of the Constitution and the judiciary, reported Express News on Sunday.

According to Express News, the opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh and former Sindh governor Imran Ismail had an important meeting with Imran Khan at Zaman Park in Lahore.

The former prime minister gave the PTI leaders the task of contacting all like-minded political parties and approaching civil society to advocate for the rule of law and supremacy of the Constitution.

Read PTI reaches out to JI to ‘save judiciary’

Imran said that the judiciary is currently being attacked and to stop that the whole nation must be brought together. "All the political parties who want to stand up for the supremacy of the Constitution should be contacted," directed the PTI chief.

Upon receiving this responsibility, Sheikh said that "Sindh's political, religious and nationalist parties, as well as civil society, will be contacted," adding that the whole nation must come together for the rule of law.

A day earlier, PTI Secretary General Asad Umar had met Jamaat-eIslami chief Siraj ul Haq at the politico-religious party headquarter Mansoora Markaz in a bid to fuel the “save the Judiciary” movement.

'Bilawal attacks Bhutto's Constitution'

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, speaking to the media in Karachi today, said that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chair Bilawal Bhutto is attacking the very Constitution his grandfather introduced in 1973.

The former minister said that the PPP takes pride in the Constitution which was drafted by former party chief, president and prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's government.

He noted the journey the party has taken "from Bhutto to Zardari", saying that while Zulfiqar introduced the Constitution, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari's son is "destroying" it.

بھٹو کے نواسے نے بھٹو کے آئین پر حملہ کرنے کا فیصلہ کرلیا ہے، شاہ محمود#ExpressNews #BREAKING #ShahMehmoodQureshi #Bilawal #Zardari #PPP #PTI pic.twitter.com/DY4krO02tY
— Express News (@ExpressNewsPK) April 2, 2023

"Bilawal has joined those powers that are causing harm to the Constitution", he added.

Qureshi told all political parties, particularly the PPP, to announce whether they stand with the Constitution or against it.

The former ruling party's demand from political parties to announce their stance comes after anticipating an adverse decision from a Supreme Court bench in the Punjab elections’ delay case, the coalition government on Saturday held an important meeting, wherein it was decided that any decision of the three judges on the matter would be “unacceptable”.

Expressing their lack of confidence in the three-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Muneeb Akhtar, the ruling parties had observed that the majority of judges had ruled against intervening in the matter.