KARACHI: Leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Pakistan Farooq Sattar has stated that the party “could support” a constitutional amendment if it serves a “greater national interest”.
Speaking to the media after an informal meeting at the Speaker’s Chamber, Sattar acknowledged that such legislation is generally not favoured.
Still, he emphasised that “if a constitutional amendment is necessary for the country’s stability, it should be made.”
Sattar highlighted that the amendment includes reforms, outlining all relevant topics.
“We will make a decision once we receive the detailed content,” he added.
He also mentioned that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had some secondary disagreements but understood most issues.
Yesterday, the ruling coalition reached out to the JUI-F chief to seek his support for proposed constitutional amendments on Saturday night, according to sources.
The move came as the government lacks a crucial eight votes for the amendments.
It was also reported that a delegation from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) also arrived at Fazlur Rehman’s residence with a similar goal but left without meeting him after seeing the government officials there.
“The country cannot move forward without resolving the constitutional and political crises. We believe stability is crucial for the nation’s future,” Sattar stressed.
Dr. Farooq Sattar further urged the government to provide assurances that it will also address inflation and unemployment.
“There are thousands of unresolved cases. When will they be addressed?” he questioned.
He also called for necessary steps to resolve the economic crisis, noting that judicial decisions will not impact the government’s two-thirds majority in parliament.
Following the Supreme Court’s clarification on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) application regarding the implementation of the July 12 order in the reserved seats case, the fate of the proposed constitutional amendment remains uncertain, as it may be struck down by the apex court due to several legal defects.
Although the government has prepared to table the constitutional amendment bill in both houses of parliament today (Sunday), the move is expected to face legal challenges.
Similarly, the ECP may face issues due to its failure to fulfill its constitutional obligation by implementing the July 12 order.
Serious questions have been raised about the conduct of the polls supervisory body due to its failure to hold the general elections within the mandated 90 days.
Serious concerns have been raised about the fairness of the Feb 8 general elections, with the PTI directly accusing the ECP of complicity.
The commission misinterpreted the Jan 13 order by failing to declare the PTI as a parliamentary party. Additionally, the largest party was denied reserved seats.
When the election tribunals began investigating the controversy surrounding the Form 45 and Form 47 results, the government empowered the ECP to appoint retired judges to these tribunals.
On Friday, Senior Supreme Court Judge Justice Munib Akhtar has walked out from the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP)’s meeting which sought an explanation about the status of a proposed constitutional amendment.
In a meeting of the commission on May 3, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar had requested the commission to defer the meeting because the Centre was considering amending Article 175A of the Constitution. It was stated that the constitution of the commission may be changed.
