Sherry Rehman, the parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the Senate, addressed concerns raised by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary leader Ali Zafar regarding the constitutional amendment during a session on Sunday.
She stated that Zafar and Barrister Gohar did not provide any proposals on the amendment, asserting that the proposed changes do not constitute an attack on the judiciary, which she described as having already broken down.
Speaking to the media following Zafar’s speech in the Senate, Rehman stated, “We had invited Ali Zafar to join the parliamentary committee and requested his suggestions, but neither he nor Barrister Gohar provided any input.”
Rehman further noted, “The judicial system in Pakistan has collapsed. The PPP laid the foundation of this constitution. This amendment is not an attack; when Parliament demands its rights, it is often accused of politicising issues. Many individuals have made sacrifices to reach this point.”
She clarified, “We do not shy away from addressing difficult issues. The chairman of the PPP has put commendable effort into this bill, especially considering that the rights of provinces are affected under these circumstances. We must not allow our rights to be taken away.”
Rehman argued that having Parliament involved in the appointment of judges is not problematic.
“If Parliament has a role in the appointment of judges, what is wrong with that? PTI should have presented their recommendations instead of discussing an outdated bill,” she stated. “It is unheard of in any country for judges to decide for themselves who will be appointed and who will advance.”
She concluded by challenging her opponents to specify the problems with the proposed amendment and suggested comparing it with similar legislation in other countries to understand its implications better.
