ISLAMABAD: A day after JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman reportedly backed the government’s proposal for a constitutional court, a PTI delegation met him on Thursday, claiming that he would never support such a constitutional amendment.

However, the JUI-F remained silent on the matter, with no official statement from party leaders refuting or confirming Mr Rehman’s position.

On Wednesday, the JUI-F chief met senior TV anchors at his residence, where he hinted at supporting the proposed establishment of a constitutional court and other amendments to the judiciary, including fixing the chief justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) tenure at three years.

Media reports suggested that while Mr Rehman did not reject the government’s proposals outright, he indicated that any changes should not be person-specific. He also expressed willingness to convince the main opposition party, PTI, on the matter while urging caution against rushing the constitutional changes.

JUI-F remains silent, with no official statement from party leaders on the matter

The government recently made an abortive attempt to pass the controversial legislation, as it lacked the required two-thirds majority in the National Assembly. The constitutional package contains a proposed amendment to fix the CJP’s tenure at three years and increase the number of Supreme Court judges from 17 to 23.

Click to see more

However, the package could not be tabled in parliament as the government couldn’t convince Maulana Fazl to vote for the bill.

Following Thursday’s meeting with Maulana Fazl, PTI leader Salman Akram Raja and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza held a press conference, insisting that the JUI-F chief had never expressed support for the proposed constitutional court.

“A wrong perception was painted in the media that the Maulana has decided to support the puppet court (constitutional court),” Mr Raja said. “The Maulana will never support the government’s plan as he had played a significant role in averting an ambush in the night. His role will be remembered,” he added.

Mr Raja said the JUI-F president’s stance was quite clear that he would not back any move that could undermine the judiciary’s independence.

Regarding the IMF’s approval of a $7 billion loan programme to Pakistan, Mr Raja said: “It’s not the time to celebrate the deal. Investment does not take place in the jungle.”

SIC’s Hamid Raza also insisted that Maulana Fazl’s stance remained unchanged and that he would not support any unconstitutional move by the government.

Meanwhile, Farooq H. Naek, vice chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), revealed during a Geo News talk show that the council had prepared a draft of suggestions based on the government’s constitutional package.

The PBC plans to submit the draft to the government in a couple of days.

Mr Naek said he had asked Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar to share the package’s draft so the lawyers’ body could give its opinion on the subject.

“We have excluded some of the clauses of the package and incorporated some other beneficial subjects in it,” he added. He also expressed support for the establishment of a constitutional court, noting that similar courts exist in most democratic nations.

Mr Naek highlighted the Supreme Court’s current backlog of over 60,000 cases — including civil, criminal and political cases — as a reason for the proposed new court. “People want a constitutional court to address pending cases. Even divorce cases have been waiting for over 10 years,” he said.

On a lighter note, Mr Naek added: “The Supreme Court is the court of the people, while the constitutional court will serve the elite.”

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2024