Bilawal affirms commitment to constitutional amendments

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has reiterated his commitment to completing the constitutional amendments, stating that if they are finalised before October 25, the matter can be resolved peacefully.

In a session with reporters in Islamabad on Wednesday, Bilawal was asked about his stance on former prime minister Imran Khan's military trial. He replied, “We need to assess the evidence first; after all, we have the authority to grant a presidential pardon.” He maintained that the PPP stands against the death penalty.

When questioned about the proposed constitutional amendments and their deadline of October 25, he stated, “If the amendments are made before October 25, the matter can be settled peacefully. While they can be done later, it may lead to confrontational situations.”

He further asserted that the PPP would not abandon the matter concerning the constitutional court, vowing to see it through to completion. “We have already faced significant delays; our demands date back to 2006 and are part of our manifesto,” he added.

Bilawal also criticised the judiciary's timing regarding certain actions, questioning why the timing of the injunction on reserved seats was not being scrutinised. He pointed out that the judiciary's four-page clarification issued on September 14, the day of a parliamentary session, raised questions about the judicial timing.

He mentioned that the head of the constitutional court would serve a three-year term and expressed his opposition to the establishment of military courts, emphasising that the justification for the federal constitutional court lies in the Supreme Court's historical precedents.

On the Karachi unrest case, which has been ongoing since 2011, Bilawal noted that the judiciary had affected the local government system under the pretext of this case, questioning whether unrest existed only in Karachi, as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan also face similar issues.

He further criticised the political manoeuvring regarding the selection of the next Army Chief, suggesting that events on May 9 were bordering on insurrection. He warned that if constitutional amendments are not enacted, the resulting situation might spiral beyond anyone's control, noting that the 18th Amendment had previously blocked the path to martial law.