ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are discussing consensus on judicial reforms and dropped constitutional court proposal amid the reluctance of allies.
The key parties decided to leave establishment of constitutional courts, and discussed the constitutional bench as part of upcoming amendments to the Constitution, which will be presented in the Senate on Friday.
In a recent parliamentary committee meeting, discussions centered on the proposed “26th Constitutional Amendment,” which initially included provisions for a fixed three-year term for the chief justice of Pakistan and the establishment of constitutional courts. However, the issue of constitutional courts has now been removed from the amendment.
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman expressed support for the idea of constitutional courts that do not target specific individuals. His backing has been crucial as the ruling coalition seeks broader consensus on judicial reforms.
Fazl, PTI and other parities said these changes could undermine judicial independence by restricting the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction to only civil and criminal appeals or petitions.
The ruling coalition still requires cooperation from PTI to achieve a complete consensus on the contentious amendments. Sources indicate that the government and JUI-F have agreed to create a constitutional bench and will consult with the PTI on a joint draft.
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