Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that he will be compelled to take “controversial path” for the passage of the 26th constitutional amendment if the opposition parties refused to support his efforts to pass the judicial package with consensus.
“I myself making last attempt to convince the opposition parties to vote for the constitutional amendment in a non-controversial way,” he said while addressing a rally in Hyderabad held to mark the 17th anniversary of Karsaz incident.
The PPP chief said if he failed to evolve consensus on the proposed constitutional amendment “then we all have to pray for the country’s democracy”.
“If the opposition still refuses to support us despite so many compromises then I will be compelled to pass the amendment with the support of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the extra members,” the PPP chief said.
He added that he will have to pass the 26th constitutional amendment in parliament via “brute majority” with the support of extra members if opposition refused to evolve consensus on the draft.
“It is necessary for us to establish a forum for the equal representation of all provinces but if the opposition shuts the door on us so then I will be compelled to take the ‘controversial path,’ which is not my favourite path and I tried not to take it, along with my allies to form constitutional bench at the federal and provincial level,” he added.
Referring to his recent meetings and consultations with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other political parties in the backdrop of much-touted constitutional amendments, Bilawal said: “They said there will be a constitutional bench but not court. I said let’s make bench but there should be equal representation [of provinces] in the bench.”
Highlighting the “historic” verdicts of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, the PPP chairman said that he even accepted their demand that the top judge should not be given extension.
“CJP Isa provided justice to Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto,” he said, adding that no other judge could dare to give such a verdict which he gave after hearing the “Faizabad Dharna case”.
“Justice Qazi Faez Isa sahib! the nation salutes you.”
This is a developing story and being updated with more details.
