Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday held a telephonic conversation to discuss the ongoing political situation and progress on developing consensus on the proposed 26th Constitutional Amendment. During the conversation, Bilawal briefed Nawaz on the latest developments with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) regarding the constitutional amendments.
A PPP statement said the two leaders deliberated on reaching a political consensus on the amendment package with Bilawal emphasizing the importance of collaboration among the political parties.
The telephonic conversation followed a meeting between Nawaz and Bilawal held at Punjab House the other day after Bilawal publicly criticized the PML-N government for its failure to table and pass the proposed constitutional amendments in parliament in September.
The meeting at Punjab House was viewed as an attempt by the PPP to mitigate tensions and build political consensus on the package.
During the meeting, when Bilawal noted that constitutional amendments should be passed through consensus to reflect a shared commitment to national progress, Nawaz assured him of the PML-N's unwavering support for proposals aimed at benefiting the country, particularly those related to judicial reforms.
The statement issued on Sunday said that the PPP chairman informed Nawaz about the progress made with the JUI-F, whose support has been critical for passing the amendment as the previous attempt of the PML-N-led ruling coalition had failed because JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had refused to vote for the government.
According to sources, the discussions are aimed at ensuring that both the parties are aligned in their approach to persuading the JUI-F and other political parties.
The JUI-F's endorsement is critical because of its five votes in the Senate and eight in the National Assembly. These votes are crucial to the treasury benches for passing the proposed bill.
Last time, the government had needed votes of the JUI-F, which sits on opposition benches, to reach the magic figure of 224 votes out of 336 in the National Assembly and 64 out of 85 in the Senate – a two-thirds majority in both houses – but it didn't happen.
According to PPP sources, the leaders discussed the importance of gaining consensus from all political parties on the proposed amendments, which include reforms aimed at reshaping the judiciary and other key aspects of governance.
They said that Bilawal reiterated the importance of broad-based political support, emphasizing that any constitutional change should reflect a collective agreement for the future stability and development of the country.
The telephonic conversation is part of ongoing efforts by both PPP and PML-N to resolve disagreements that had stalled the passage of the 26th constitutional amendment last time.
Sub-committee meeting
Meanwhile, in another development, a sub-committee of the National Assembly's special committee met to review various drafts related to the constitutional amendments.
Reportedly, the meeting, chaired by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, took place at his residence and was attended by key government and opposition members.
The sub-committee's primary focus was on bridging differences over the proposed amendments, presented by the PML-N, the PPP and the JUI-F.
During the session, efforts were made to reconcile the differing positions of the political parties on specific clauses, particularly those concerning the judiciary-related matters.
The sub-committee has been tasked with presenting a working paper at the next formal meeting of the special committee, scheduled for Monday (today) at 3:30pm.
Amendments
The proposed amendments focus on judicial reforms, including the establishment of a Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) and revisions to the tenure and appointment processes of the judiciary. So far, the PML-N, the PPP and the JUI-F have presented their drafts while the PTI's is awaited.
The JUI-F draft proposes, among other things, the formation of a constitutional bench within the Supreme Court instead of creating a separate FCC, a repeal of the 19th constitutional amendment, an end to riba (interest) at state level, and the mandatory forwarding of all bills to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) for vetting.
The JUI-F's proposals have come on the heels of a complete draft by the PPP and an incomplete one by the ruling PML-N as it has so far only shared judiciary-related amendments before the committee.
The three parties have so far given different suggestions regarding a constitutional court as the PML-N wants it at the federal level only, the PPP proposes to have it at both federal and provincial levels while the JUI-F only wishes to establish a constitutional bench in the SC.
Meanwhile, in a message on X regarding the establishment of a constitutional court, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Justice Dorab Patel had shared the idea of a constitutional court with his colleagues, Asma Jahangir and I.A. Rehman, who had agreed with him.
He said, "We do not legislate or amend the Constitution whimsically, like dictators and judges; instead, we strive to achieve long-term goals for future generations."
Bilawal pointed out that it took 30 years to restore the 1973 Constitution through the 18th Amendment and nearly two decades to undo the damages caused by judicial decisions related to the 19th Amendment and PCO Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry's politics.
He added that the 26th Amendment was not being rushed but should have been enacted long ago. He noted that Justice Dorab Patel had been one of the four honorable judges who had acquitted Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and refused to be part of the judicial murder.
Justice Patel, who was also a co-founder of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, believed that there was no evidence to convict Bhutto.
"Justice Patel, a founding member of the Asian Human Rights Commission, did not find the witness in Bhutto's case to be credible. Patel also said that the trial of Bhutto in his absence in the High Court was a mistake, which took the Supreme Court of Pakistan 45 years to acknowledge," he noted.
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