Ministers hint at 'options' if no consensus achieved

Say govt wants to take all parties on board on amendment

ISLAMABAD:

Amid hectic efforts by a key government ally to bring the opposition on board with regard to the 26th constitution amendment, federal ministers on Saturday tried to give the impression that a broad-based consensus remained high priority despite having the magic number to attain the goal.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that the government desired to pass the 26th Constitutional Amendment with broad-based consensus.

"We have the required numbers for the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, but we seek to develop a broader consensus in the National Assembly and the Senate," he said while talking to the media outside the Parliament House.

The minister said that the primary objective of the amendment is to establish supremacy of parliament, which guarantees the Constitution of the country. "We want to put an end to the encroachment on parliament and ensure that the supremacy of this forum, as promised by the Constitution of Pakistan, is upheld," he added.

Asif further said that all political parties unanimously agreed that the supremacy of parliament must not be compromised. He said that elected representatives have the authority to legislate for the welfare of the public, and the minority should not impose its decisions on the majority.

Addressing the issue of misinformation, the minister criticized the creation of a false narrative suggesting that members of the Senate and National Assembly had been kidnapped. "They should reveal the names of those allegedly kidnapped, imprisoned, or held hostage," he said.

Asif dismissed claims that some parties were blackmailing the government and said that constitutional amendments always require time to reach an agreement.

Separately, Information Minister Tarar said that despite having numbers, the coalition government was making all-out efforts for the creation of a broader consensus on the proposed constitutional package.

Talking to the media outside Parliament House along with the senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Haneef Abbasi, he said the process of consultations for the constitutional package was ongoing and Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto held meetings with Jamiat Ulama-e-Pakistan Amir Fazlur Rahman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. "We are democratic people, we try to create a consensus among all political stakeholders," he said adding that in democratic societies, efforts were made for consensus building through consultations. The information minister said the government had an open mind in moving ahead with constitutional amendments.

In terms of judicial reforms, efforts were being made for consensus in the wider national interest, but if that was not possible, other options while remaining within the scope of the constitution and law were available.

To a question, he said that elements behind spreading fake news of rape have been traced. "A woman belonging to Karachi who posted fake news on social media yesterday has been traced", he told the media.