Amid rumours of legislation to increase the retirement age of high court judges, the Pakistani government is planning to introduce a comprehensive judicial reform package in the parliament. In this regard, a delegation of the Pakistan government met prominent cleric and right-wing politician Maulana Fazlur Rehman and sought his support on the controversial Constitution Amendment Bill aimed at bringing changes in laws related to the judiciary. According to ARY News report, the Shahbaz Sharif-led Pakistan government failed to convince Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman about the constitutional amendments.
Also read: Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of Imran Khan’s party in reserved seat case
Waiting for Maulana’s approval
ARY News said that its sources privy to the matter have revealed that Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and PTI have also contacted the JUI-F chief and a PTI delegation will meet the Maulana later. The report said that Maulana Fazal will also schedule talks with the opposition after meeting the government officials. Earlier, Shehbaz Sharif had called a meeting of the federal cabinet to discuss the draft of the much-awaited ‘constitutional package’, ARY News reported. The government delegation included Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Azam Nazir Tarar. Sources said that the Maulana supports the amendments in principle, but not the entire plan.
Also read: Is Bangladesh going to play a dangerous game with Pakistan? India was also surprised by the news of the nuclear treaty
Which amendment does the Shahbaz government want to make in the Constitution
The details of the amendments are still a secret as the government has not officially shared it with the media or discussed it publicly. Reports received so far suggest that the government is planning to increase the retirement age of judges and fix the tenure of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The government wants to create a constitutional court through constitutional amendment and amend Article 63-A of the Constitution – which deals with defection of MPs. The government does not have a two-third majority to amend the Constitution and needs the support of Maulana Rehman.
