October Set as Target for Approval of Key Constitutional Amendments
Siddiqui reflects on past amendments and emphasizes the need to revert to the 18th Amendment’s framework.
Following weeks of discussions, the Pakistani government plans to reintroduce its constitutional package to parliament in the first week of October, expressing optimism about securing the necessary backing for its approval.
Senator Irfan Siddiqui, the parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the Senate, informed reporters that the package is expected to be presented to the Senate during the first week of October. However, he emphasized that the success of the constitutional amendments depends on gaining the support of Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, the leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), particularly in the Senate.
Siddiqui mentioned that the ruling coalition is in discussions with Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, who is in favor of establishing a constitutional court but has requested clarifications on several critical issues, including the number of judges, their appointment processes, tenure, retirement age, and service structure. He noted that the proposed constitutional court would be federal and represent all provinces.
He also reminded reporters that the establishment of a constitutional court was part of the Charter of Democracy signed by former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto in May 2006. Siddiqui added that this proposal had garnered support from all major political figures, including Imran Khan, the founder of the PTI.
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Regarding the proposed changes to the judicial appointment process, Siddiqui noted that prior to the 18th Amendment, the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the provincial Chief Justices had significant influence over judicial appointments. The 18th Amendment, enacted in 2010, sought to rebalance this power by introducing two systems: a judicial commission led by the Chief Justice and an eight-member parliamentary committee composed of equal representation from both the government and the opposition.
However, he lamented that the 19th Amendment, which was passed under pressure from the then-Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, effectively diminished Parliament’s role in the appointment process. Siddiqui explained that Parliament inadvertently approved the 19th Amendment, which weakened the parliamentary committee’s involvement in judicial appointments. The current proposal, he clarified, aims to restore the framework established by the 18th Amendment, thereby reestablishing a more significant role for Parliament in the process.
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