LAHORE/PESHAWAR: The PTI has vowed to launch a decisive movement against the 26th Constitutional Amendment across the country “without any fear of consequences”.

The PTI leadership has called upon the nation to come out on the roads as the judiciary’s independence has been threatened by the amendment.

“The current situation demands a mass protest movement … by every Pakistani, beyond the cadres of the PTI, from every nook and corner of the country,” PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said while addressing a press conference in Lahore on Monday.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, addressing the KP Assembly session, said this would be “do or die” as there was no other option for the people. “We don’t care about the consequences.”

Salman Akram Raja calls on ‘nation’ to join protests; KP CM Gandapur says party doesn’t care about consequences anymore

Mr Raja also criticised the changes brought to the judiciary and said the judges in the constitutional bench — as outlined in the amendment — “will not be wearing uniform or boots but will be controlled by the oppressors”.

The amendment was a “direct attack on the Constitution”, he said at the Lahore Press Club.

The judges of the constitutional bench, where every Pakistani would go to seek justice, would have judges appointed by the government, he said.

“We Pakistanis have been made slaves. Pakistanis have been sent to dark ages that were worse than the colonial rule, where at least the honour and integrity of women within the four walls of their homes was protected.”

Answering a question about the Quaid-i-Azam’s vision of constitutional courts, Mr Raja said the comparison was not apt as the present Pakistan had come a long way and earned judicial independence after a long struggle.

He also said that the Charter of Democracy was a “mere agreement between two political parties” and had nothing to do with the people of Pakistan at large.

‘Do or die’

KP Chief Minister Gandapur also raised concerns over the independence of judiciary after the 26th amendment. He said this time, the PTI would launch a movement with a different approach and appealed to the people “to stand up” against the amendment.

He said merely posting on social media would not be enough this time. “People would have to come out of their houses and become part of the revolution.”

The chief minister also warned of protest if the government didn’t appoint the senior-most Supreme Court judge — Justice Mansoor Ali Shah — as the chief justice.

“This is the moment for do or die. There is no other option. We don’t care about the consequences,” the chief minister said, adding that the amendment was passed by a government “which lacked public mandate”.

He vowed to take back the amendment whenever the PTI came into power.

The KP CM’s adviser on information, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, also said the PTI will annul the “controversial and unconstitutional amendments” upon its return to power.

In a statement on Monday, Mr Saif said the tactics used to get this amendment passed “violated the sanctity of four walls and attacked the dignity of our mothers and sisters”. The process to get the amendment passed in the dead of night was a “betrayal against the Constitution”.

“The entire procedure [is] a treacherous blow to the Constitution,” Mr Saif said, calling it a “coup against the judiciary”.

‘Turncoats’

The PTI leaders also criticised PTI’s National Assembly members who voted in favour of the constitutional amendment and vowed strict action against them.

Mr Raja said the PTI would ensure that these members lose their seats as he rebuffed the reports of a forward bloc in the party.

CM Gandapur said the lawmakers who supported the government were “cowards and traitors”. He said coercion or threat was no justification to support the government. “Those who could not resist [the pressure] should have resigned.”

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2024