ISLAMABAD: A group of prominent lawyers, including Abid Zuberi, Shafqat Mehmood, and Munir Kakar, on Monday filed a petition in the Supreme Court, challenging a set of proposed constitutional amendments.
The petition names the federal and provincial governments, the National Assembly, the Senate, and other relevant parties as respondents. The petitioners argue that the proposed amendments undermine the principle of separation of powers and pose a threat to the judiciary’s independence. They have urged the Supreme Court to declare the draft unconstitutional and block the government’s efforts to advance the amendments.
In their petition, the lawyers have requested that the process of presenting the constitutional amendment bill in Parliament be halted. Furthermore, they have asked the court to prevent the president of Pakistan from signing the bill into law should it pass through Parliament.
The petition emphasizes the importance of safeguarding the judiciary’s independence and asserts that Parliament lacks the authority to curtail judicial powers or interfere with the judiciary’s functions.
The government’s push to introduce the 26th Constitutional Amendment hit an early roadblock when a federal cabinet meeting intended to approve the amendments was postponed. Subsequently, the sessions of both the National Assembly and the Senate, where the bill was to be tabled, were adjourned indefinitely.
The delay in the cabinet meeting was reportedly due to the government’s failure to secure the backing of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman. As a result, the government was unable to move forward with the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill in today’s parliamentary sessions.
With the amendment bill stalled, routine proceedings in the National Assembly continued, with a three-point agenda up for discussion, according to sources. The ruling coalition, comprising the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), had instructed their members to attend in hopes of advancing the bill, but they once again faced difficulty in garnering the necessary support.
