- Insists those seven govt parliamentarians say they don’t care about being disqualified
- Omar Ayub claims both JUI-F and PTI not agree to govt’s draft yet
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar on Thursday claimed that seven treasury members in the National Assembly (MNAs) would vote against the proposed constitutional amendments, saying the government’s numbers completed only in their books.
“We have learnt from reliable sources that seven members of the treasury benches have refused vote in favour of the proposed amendments”, Barrister Gohar stated while talking to a private TV channel.
The PTI chairman also denied reports the government had consulted its members.
“The government members said they will not vote even if they are disqualified,” he said, adding that the legislators believe those voting in favour of the constitutional amendments would be doing so against their conscious.
Probably, he said, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also knew that parliamentary members of his own party were not going to vote for the amendment.
His remarks came as the Special Committee of the parliament met again on Thursday to discuss the draft amendments in the Constitution, proposed by the government.
Meanwhile, talking to journalists after coming out of the committee meeting, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub said he kept the “truths” before the committee.
He said coercive tactics were being used against those opposing the proposed constitutional amendments.
“PTI leader Zain Qureshi’s wife was abducted, Daud Shah and several MNAs and their family members were kidnapped, and a raid was carried out at my house. Members of the JUI-F were also threatened,” he said, apprising that the JUI-F had not yet shown willingness to agree to the government’s draft.
Hoping to reach a consensus on the amendments, Senator Irfan Siddiqui said it was a day of good and positive news today.
Expressing his party’s support for the government’s proposed draft, MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar said his party had decided to cooperate for the judicial reforms.
On the meeting, he said the dialogues were in favour of Pakistan.
Parliamentary Committee’s Meeting
The parliamentary committee’s meeting has been adjourned till noon on Friday.
Talking to media, after conclusion of the meeting, Shah said the constitutional amendments’ draft would be completed in two days.
On PTI’s opposition to the amendments, he said the PTI members of the committee, Gohar and Ayub, were helpless as they did not have a mandate.
“We repeatedly asked the PTI for a proposed draft but they have not yet presented the amendments,” he said.
He blamed the PTI for the ongoing student protest as well, saying the political party was behind it.
To a query, the PPP leader said the PTI leaders apprised about abduction of their parliamentary members and the matter would be raised before the National Assembly speaker.
In his comment after the meeting, Gohar said the government presented its third version and a draft. In its third draft, the government had talked about a constitutional bench instead of court, he added.
“The government has not yet brought up its complete draft,” he said.
A day ago, the PTI announced countrywide protests on Friday against the proposed constitutional package.
“PTI political committee has decided to resist the constitutional amendments,” read a declaration issued by the opposition party on Wednesday.
Political heavyweights — the Sharif brothers, President Asif Ali Zardari, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman — also reached a consensus on judicial reforms during a late-night meeting at the Sharif family’s Jati Umra residence in Lahore on Wednesday.
Following the late-night consultations on the constitutional package, Fazl, Bilawal, and Dar addressed the media.
