PTI to boycott vote on constitutional amendments

Decision to be absent from voting was announced in a statement following a meeting of the party's political committee.

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The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to boycott the voting process in the National Assembly and Senate concerning the 26th Constitutional Amendments.

The decision was announced in a statement following a meeting of the party's political committee.

The PTI statement emphasised that the party would not be part of what it termed a "non-transparent" and "controversial" process of amending the constitution. It declared a complete boycott of the voting process in both houses of Parliament.

The political committee asserted that the current regime has no moral, democratic, or constitutional justification for altering the constitution. The statement accused the ruling coalition of imposing the "law of the jungle" through amendments, which the party believes undermines democracy.

In a press conference, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan expressed concerns over two party senators, Zarqa Taimur and Faisal Saleem, who he believes may vote against party policy. “I think our two senators are going to vote against the party policy,” he stated.

The PTI, however, continues to voice concerns about potential judiciary-oriented legislation, which includes provisions for a fixed three-year term for the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the establishment of constitutional benches.

The PTI's political committee reiterated its commitment to resist these proposed legal reforms. The party announced plans for protests outside the residences of lawmakers who participate in the voting process.

“We will hold sit-ins in front of the lawmakers’ houses who vote,” warned Barrister Gohar Khan, emphasizing adherence to party policy among PTI members.

Meanwhile, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar announced that the draft of the constitutional package will be presented to the federal cabinet today for formal approval.

He noted that proposals from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman have been incorporated into the draft.

The federal cabinet is scheduled to meet at 2:30 PM to review the contentious 26th constitutional amendment. Following this, sessions of the National Assembly and Senate are expected at 3 PM and 6 PM, respectively.

Prior to the sessions, a meeting of the federal cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to take place, during which approval for the amendments will be sought.