• In another late-night presser, JUI-F chief overturns all talk of ‘consensus’, threatens to boycott consultation process if govt does not mend its ways, stop coercive tactics
• Ultimatum prompts PM Shehbaz, Bilawal etc to rush to Maulana’s residence late at night
• Barrister Gohar claims some govt members have agreed not to vote for amendment; says party won’t share its draft sans Imran’s approval

ISLAMABAD: Defying all attempts to cajole him into backing the controversial 26th constitutional amendment, Maulana Fazlur Rehman overturned the government’s best-laid plans when he threatened to walk out of negotiations if the rulers continued using heavy-handed methods to muster the two-thirds majority they need in parliament.

The ultimatum came after a two-hour meeting between JUI-F and PTI leaders at the Maulana’s residence in Islamabad.

Although earlier media reports and statements from political leaders had indicated that a consensus on the draft amendment was not far off, the Maulana’s volte-face prompted late-night visits from PM Shehbaz Sharif and PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto, ostensibly in a bid to win him over.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Deputy PM Ishaq Dar and PPP leader Syed Naveed Qamar also rushed to the Maulana’s residence after his press conference alongside PTI leaders. The meeting was still ongoing at the time of going to press.

Flanked by PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan in his third post-midnight press conference in as many days, the JUI-F leader had flipped the game on its head.

While it was anticipated in light of his earlier press conferences that the JUI-F had agreed to support the government, Maulana Fazl’s latest stance was a significant departure from his earlier statements.

The PTI is a major opposition party and cannot be excluded from such an important matter, he said, adding that the entire opposition should be taken on board to achieve a broad-based consensus.

Political observers were anticipating something was brewing, as the JUI-F had summoned a meeting of its parliamentary party to discuss the constitutional amendment just hours after the commencement of the National Assembly and Senate sessions.

The JUI-F chief said he spent four hours discussing the amendments with the PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in Karachi on Tuesday, and the matter was also discussed at length at Jati Umra on Wednesday with PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari.

“Some things have been agreed upon and some were still under discussion,” he said.

Govt should ‘behave properly’

He asked the government to stop harassing opposition lawmakers and their families, particularly mentioning JUI-F, PTI, and BNP-Mengal.

“I want to tell them that if do not behave properly, we will respond in the same coin… Don’t force us to boycott parliament,” he said.

“Our reconciliatory attitude is not being reciprocated. The government is simultaneously talking to the opposition and intimidating the opposition lawmakers.”

The Maulana also revealed that his party’s lawmakers had been issued notices under Article 63-A — that deals with defections — so they know that if they vote in defiance of the party line, they will be disqualified.

In his view, the PTI had a positive attitude towards the amendments. “Some things were agreed upon today and talks on some issues will continue,” he said.

The Maulana also called for the special parliamentary committee to be expanded to include key stakeholders such as the Pakistan Bar Council and Supreme Court Bar Association.

Speaking on the occasion, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan stressed the need for a consensus, and claimed that his party had been cooperating with the government to draft the “best possible proposal” for the proposed amendments.

Earlier, JUI-F leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidari told media persons that they had tried to convince the government on “our draft of the constitutional amendment”. He said there was still confusion about the content of the constitutional amendments, and only the government could tell when the amendment would be introduced in parliament.

Bench vs court

Earlier in the day, sources claimed the PML-N and PPP had agreed to accommodate the JUI-F’s demand for a constitutional bench rather than a separate constitutional court, as suggested by the Maulana’s party.

Speaking to Dawn on Thursday evening, sources claimed that this was decided between the JUI-F and PPP chief in Karachi on Tuesday, and that the PML-N had “reluctantly agreed” to the proposal at the Jati Umra huddle the next day.

Another source said a proposal aimed to empower the prime minister to appoint the chief justice of Pakistan out of the three senior-most judges of the Supreme Court, rather than picking the most senior judge, was still a part of the government’s draft.

Besides judicial reforms, there was also a plan to change the procedure for the appointment of the chief election commissioner. According to the proposal, in the case of a disagreement between the prime minister and the opposition leader, the matter would be referred to a parliamentary committee.

Special committee

The special parliamentary committee formed to forge a consensus on the draft amendment had also met on Thursday with Syed Khursheed Shah in the chair, where various proposals were discussed between all stakeholders, including the PTI.

Mr Shah told media persons after the meeting that the PML-N, JUI-F and MQM seemed to be in agreement, but the PTI did not present its proposals before the committee, despite repeated requests.

PPP Parliamentary Leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman had also claimed harmony between her party and the JUI-F, saying: “It’s a matter of day or two and a draft will come before all”.

The PTI, on the other hand, said it would not share its proposals without getting a sign-off from their incarcerated founder Imran Khan.

Barrister Gohar Ali Khan had even claimed that seven lawmakers from the treasury benches would vote against the constitutional amendment and contested the government’s claim of having a two-thirds majority, saying the number only existed on paper.

“Legislators, belonging to the ruling parties, are ready to be disqualified but they will not vote in favour of proposed amendments. Maybe Bilawal [Bhutto-Zardari] is also aware that his own party’s members are not going to vote for the amendment,” he claimed.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2024