Barrister Saif vows PTI resistance to constitutional amendments bill

PTI lawmaker accused the Sharif family of exploiting state power to maintain control.

Information Advisor for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Barrister Saif announced that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will mount both legal and political resistance against the proposed constitutional amendment.

PTI lawmaker Barrister Saif labelled on Thursday that the current government is "illegitimate" and accused it of "attempting to secretly alter the constitution without public representation".

Saif referred to the government as a "Form 47 fake government" and claimed that the proposed amendments were designed to undermine democracy in Pakistan.

He warned that the PTI leadership and its supporters would strongly resist any attempt to subvert the constitution under the guise of the upcoming SCO summit.

Saif also criticised the Sharif family, accusing them of exploiting state power to maintain control.

He condemned the alleged abduction of PTI member Zain Qureshi's wife, calling it an unprecedented "act of fascism".

He further accused the ruling party of suppressing human rights and detaining PTI founder Imran Khan under false charges, restricting his visitors in violation of basic rights.

SC dismisses petition against tweaks case

Today, the Supreme Court (SC) dismissed a petition challenging the 26th Constitutional Amendment after the petitioners opted to withdraw their case.

The decision was made during a hearing led by a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa.

Advocate Hamid Khan represented the petitioners and informed the court of their desire to withdraw the appeal.

In response, CJP Isa questioned whether Hamid Khan had been specifically engaged in the withdrawal or if Abid Zuberi himself could have stated it.

Hamid confirmed that he represented all petitioners in the case.

During the proceedings, the chief justice also addressed a pending petition from Advocate Abid Zuberi, noting that it had not yet been scheduled for a hearing.

He added that it might be taken up at a later time.

With the withdrawal request granted, the Supreme Court officially dismissed the case against the 26th Constitutional Amendment.

Earlier, a consensus was reached between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People's Party (PPP), and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) on judicial reforms concerning the 26th Constitutional Amendment, while discussions on other matters are set to continue.

After a dinner hosted at Jati Umra, JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar held a joint press conference on Wednesday. Rehman stated that all three parties have reached an agreement on judicial reforms but other issues are still under negotiation.

He also announced plans to visit Islamabad to meet with the leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in an effort to gain their support for the proposed judicial reforms.

"We are working towards consensus on other points as well, and I will also try to reach an agreement with PTI on the matter of judicial reforms," he said.

Rehman maintained that if the government agrees to the JUI-F's draft, they will move forward, but if not, they will continue to reject the government's proposed draft, as they have done in the past. He reiterated that discussions on the constitutional draft are ongoing, and the parties are working towards a mutual agreement.

Bilawal expressed hope that after thorough consultations, the amendment will soon be presented. "We have agreed on judicial reforms, and PPP, PML-N, and JUI-F are committed to bringing about the necessary changes," he stated.

DPM Dar confirmed the agreement, stating that these judicial reforms will ensure faster and more transparent justice for the public.

PTI to protest against constitutional amendments

PTI's political committee has announced its decision to resist recent constitutional amendments and hold a nationwide protest this Friday, according to the Express-News.

The announcement came following a meeting of the PTI political committee, chaired by Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Wednesday. The committee also resolved to take every possible step to block the amendments in both houses of Parliament.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the party declared its intent to oppose the constitutional amendments and condemned the mistreatment of its founding chairman, Imran Khan. PTI also called for widespread protests across the country after Friday prayers.

In this regard, all regional and local PTI organisations were directed to hold peaceful and large-scale demonstrations outside district headquarters following the Friday prayers.

The statement further asserted that the government's attempts to distort the Constitution through amendments will not be tolerated. PTI urged all segments of the society, who believe in upholding the Constitution, to join the peaceful protests.

Additionally, PTI demanded the immediate restoration of Imran Khan's basic rights and access to his family, legal team, and party leaders.

The committee further stressed the urgent release of all arrested PTI leaders, including Imran Khan’s sisters, Aleema Khan and Uzma Khan, as well as Advocate Intizar Hussain Panjutha, Azam Swati, the PTI Balochistan president, and all detained members of parliament and party workers.