CoD promise finally fulfilled, declares govt

Fazl says in these amendments 'black cobra has been defanged'

ISLAMABAD:

The government and its allies, who voted for the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill, praised the amendments as being in line with the Charter of Democracy (CoD), signed over 18 years ago by former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed gratitude to all parties, particularly Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), for supporting the bill.

"History will always remember the role of Maulana Fazlur Rehman in these constitutional amendments," Bilawal said outside Parliament.

He mentioned that he had personally contacted Maulana Fazlur Rehman to express his thanks, noting that Maulana Fazl had instructed his senators to vote in favor of the bill.

When asked about Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, Bilawal said that Justice Shah himself had spoken about "merit with seniority."

He also praised Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, saying that "a judge gave me justice that no one could ever give". He was referring to the Supreme Court opinion that former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was not given a fair trial. "This judge punished Pervez Musharraf and decided on the Faizabad sit-in."

In a separate media talk with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl said that he was thankful to the PTI and supported its decision of not participating in the voting process in parliament because of disappearance of its lawmakers.

About the amendments passed by parliament, Fazl said that "we worked hard and put in effort together [with the PTI]" but added that "we cannot force any party". He said that in these amendments "the black cobra has been defanged".

"I have said that constitutional amendment should not be linked to judges, personalities," Fazl told reporters. Responding to a question, the JUI-F chief stressed that "not just the seniority but fitness is also important."

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar expressed his gratitude to all political parties for voting in favour of the 26th Constitutional Amendment. He remarked that the incomplete agenda of the Charter of Democracy (CoD) had now been fulfilled.

After the passage of the amendment from Senate, Dar thanked the PPP, JUI-F, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) and others for their support.

"The passage of the [26th Constitutional] Amendments was made possible because of the relentless efforts of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari," Dar said. He praised Maulana Fazl for his wisdom, and his efforts in helping build consensus.

He also commended all political parties for demonstrating wisdom and political maturity. "It is a historic day. The incomplete agenda of the Charter of Democracy had now been fulfilled," Dar said. He noted that despite reaching a consensus in the parliamentary committee, PTI did not support the amendment.

Earlier, before the passage of the bill, Bilawal told reporters that the PPP was fulfilling the promises made in the CoD, particularly those concerning judicial reforms, stressing that this achievement was secured through political consensus, even in the current constrained political environment.

He described the day as monumental, both politically and personally, as he would be implementing one of the points of his mother's unfinished mission. He assured that there were no objectionable or controversial points in the bill.

"Both the government and the opposition parties involved in the discussions have reached a compromise. Even parties that may not vote for the bill today have no substantive objections, as they have already endorsed the consensus formed between Maulana Fazl and the PPP," he said.