Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Barrister Gohar, on Tuesday, declared the 26th Constitutional Amendment illegal and announced that his party will not participate in the parliamentary committee responsible for appointing the new chief justice following the amendment’s passage.
Speaking to the media outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Gohar highlighted PTI’s commitment to transparency, emphasizing that their intra-party elections were conducted more transparently than those of other parties. He noted that the Supreme Court had validated PTI’s intra-party elections in its ruling on reserved seats.
Discussing the ongoing intra-party election case in the ECP, Gohar explained that PTI had filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging the ECP’s jurisdiction in the matter. He expressed optimism that the case would be resolved soon, as the LHC had temporarily barred the ECP from issuing a final order.
Gohar stated that PTI had complied with all legal queries from the ECP, providing all requested documents, and reiterated that, according to the Supreme Court’s ruling, the PTI was entitled to the reserved seats in question.
Regarding parliamentary matters, he criticized the lack of consensus on the assembly floor, calling the 26th Amendment “illegal.” He further condemned the sudden inclusion of a proposal for constitutional benches at the provincial level, which he said was introduced unexpectedly.
Gohar reaffirmed PTI’s decision to boycott the committee tasked with selecting the new chief justice, calling the 26th Amendment unconstitutional.
