Govt alliance, opposition agree on formation of ‘constitutional benches’

All political parties, including the opposition, have finally agreed on the formation of a constitutional benches after both the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) softened their stance on the matter of a constitutional court, according to sources familiar with the development.

The issue, initially centered on creating a constitutional court, has now shifted towards establishing a constitutional benches, sources told on Thursday.

After high-level talks, leaders from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and PPP claimed that an agreement had been reached by all political parties on forming the bench.

This followed another meeting of the Special Committee on constitutional amendments held on Thursday. The committee’s session has been adjourned until noon on Friday (tomorrow).

The constitutional package aims to introduce a federal constitutional court and limit the tenure of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) to three years, among other reforms.

The government had initially attempted to present a bill for constitutional amendments last month, but strong opposition from both allies and opposition members halted the process, leading to further consultations.

To pass the amendments, the government needs a two-thirds majority in parliament. Sources indicate they are short by 13 votes in the National Assembly and 9 in the Senate.

After today’s meeting, PTI Chairman Gohar Khan said the government presented its third version of the draft. In this draft, they discussed a constitutional bench instead of a court, he noted.

“The government has not yet shared its complete draft,” he added.

Khan also mentioned that he would be meeting Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman on the issue soon.

Earlier, Khan claimed that seven members of the coalition government from the National Assembly (MNAs) would oppose the proposed amendments.

“The government’s numbers only add up on paper. They didn’t consult their members, likely out of fear,” he told Geo News.

He also cited reliable sources stating that the seven treasury bench members had refused to support the amendments.

“They have said they won’t vote, even if it means disqualification,” he said, adding that many lawmakers felt voting for the amendments would go against their conscience.

Khan also suggested that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari may be aware that some of his own party’s members might not support the amendment.

After the meeting, Shah said the draft for the constitutional amendments would be finalized in two days.

Regarding PTI’s opposition to the amendments, he noted that PTI committee members Gohar and Ayub lacked the necessary mandate to present their party’s proposals.

“We’ve repeatedly asked PTI for their draft, but they haven’t presented anything yet,” he said.