THE government appears to be set on getting its way, even if it means upsetting the distribution of power envisioned in the Constitution. Rumours have been rife since the weekend of a new legislative package aimed at the judiciary, whose independence and assertiveness seem to have become issues for the regime ever since the majority verdict in the reserved seats case. It may be recalled that the coalition government had lost its ability to make direct changes to the Constitution after the Supreme Court overturned the ECP’s award of dozens of extra seats to the ruling parties. The speculation has been that the government, despite hitting this roadblock, continued working on certain amendments that will allow it to retain the heads of certain state institutions beyond their retirement. It has also been learnt that other changes may be in consideration, including powers for the government to transfer high court judges without their consent. This weekend’s meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Maulana Fazlur Rahman is said to have been over this new ‘constitutional package’.

It should be underlined that most of this remains speculation, with the law minister ruling out any constitutional amendment in the next parliamentary session. Few seem to know exactly what measures are being considered. The changes supposedly desired cannot be done without amending the Constitution, for which the ruling coalition does not have the numbers ever since the reserved seats verdict. However, those who claim to represent the government are also insisting that it has found a way, thanks to the ECP’s delaying of the implementation of the reserved seats verdict. With 41 lawmakers still classified as ‘independents’, the government can ‘influence’ them to vote in its favour, they say. How this ‘influencing’ may be done should be obvious to anyone following the experiences of the unfortunate lawmakers in the PTI camp. However, all this is still conjecture, and it is hoped that the government will not tinker with the Constitution till the reserved seats matter is settled. Meanwhile, it must stop acting as if its number one priority is self-preservation, not the people of Pakistan. With the citizenry struggling, the IMF deal still subject to ifs and buts, and no economic roadmap in sight, it has much bigger problems to worry about. It should focus on those first.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2024