JUI-F disillusioned after govt 'reneges on promise'

JUI-F spokesperson says Justice Shah should be next chief justice

ISLAMABAD:

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) said on Thursday that during negotiations on the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill, it had conveyed to the government that the principle of seniority in the Supreme Court should not be violated.

However, the government did not uphold this commitment.

JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghori, according to Express News, said that Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, being the senior-most judge, should be the next chief justice of Pakistan, adding that both the government and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had initially agreed to this.

"The government was clearly told in meetings not to tamper with seniority and to appoint Justice Mansoor Ali Shah as the CJP. Both the ruling party and the PPP acknowledged this. They should be asked why they changed their stance after going to the parliamentary committee," Ghori said.

Addressing criticism of JUI-F's role in the passage of the amendment, the spokesperson explained that Maulana Fazlur Rehman played a role of a bridge in negotiations.

He dismissed the criticism as stemming from frustration over Maulana Fazlur Rehman's elevated stature due to his role in the talks.

"Anything could happen when we have the numbers," Ghori remarked. He expressed disappointment that JUI-F's numbers had been reduced, noting that Maulana had warned the government he wouldn't support the bill if "the disappearance of our senators did not stop."

The spokesperson also noted that there were risks of even greater losses if the amendments hadn't passed. "The biggest concerns were the clauses about military courts and others in the original draft, which we changed," he explained.

"Those raising a hue and cry today should thank us, as otherwise, they would be the ones standing before military courts."

Ghori added that in a meeting at Jati Umra, the government continued to insist on military courts, aiming to give more power to the army in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

"But we told them to strengthen institutions to the extent where democracy still exists. There have been many operations in the past 20 years, but they did not yield the desired results."

The JUI-F spokesperson also revealed that the government had sought an amendment allowing parliament to overrule Supreme Court decisions. "This amendment would have given us special seats, but we excluded it," he claimed.