Wednesday, 16 October, 2024 | 12 Rabi ul Sani, 1446
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Rs 20.00 | Vol XV No 99 I 8 Pages Lahore Edition
JUI-F, PPP agree on JoInt ProPosals For constItUtIonal amendments JUI-F chief to meet Nawaz Sharif today to get PML-N on board
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KARACHI
STAFF REPORT
AMIAT Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Tuesday agreed on a joint draft of the highly anticipated constitutional amendments while both the party leaders have decided to contact Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership and try to get their support over their joint draft. Addressing a press conference here after a meeting, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that both the parties had agreed on a draft proposal which would also be shared with the PTI and
Maulana Fazl to contact PTI leadership for consensus package
other parties. It merits mentioning that draft bill proposing a number of constitutional reforms, including an extension of the term of the top judge, is known as the “Constitutional Package.” The JUI-F was working on a third draft of the constitutional package, while the government was working on the second two. All parties, including the PTI, are represented on the committee, which is chaired by Khursheed Shah of the PPP. Following a plainclothes raid to apprehend the PTI members from Parliament House, the speaker of the National Assembly established it to promote harmony among parliamentarians, especially between the PTI and the government. Only a day back, JUI-F chief
Lawyers threaten nationwide protests against constitutional package
KARACHI: Lawyers across Pakistan have come together on a unified platform to oppose proposed constitutional amendments, warning of a nationwide movement if the government proceeds with the changes. At a convention held by the Karachi Bar Association at City Court on Tuesday, prominent legal figures, including officials from the Pakistan Bar Council, Supreme Court Bar Association,
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and other regional associations, gathered to voice their concerns. Attendees included Munir A Malik, Hamid Khan, and Abid Zuberi, among others. However, no representatives from the Sindh High Court Bar Association attended the event. The proposed amendments were denounced as unconstitutional and illegal, with lawyers threatening a countrywide protest in response. STAFF REPORT
Maulana Fazlur Rehman had told media persons in Hyderabad that there was harmony in the drafts of the PML-N, the PPP and the JUI-F. He said proposals rejected by the JUI-F had been removed from the draft by the government. He said the amendments would be rejected if a consensus could not be reached. He had indicated that amendments that infringed upon fundamental rights or aimed to strengthen some specific institution would not be acceptable. Fazl visited PPP Chairman Bilawal BhuttoZardari in Karachi on Tuesday. In a press conference after their meeting, he said: “I can say this much after a long discussion that our two parties have agreed on a draft.”
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JUI-F rules out supporting constitutional amendments without PTI
ISLAMABAD: Amid the prevailing ambiguity surrounding the narrative of the prospective constitutional amendments being pushed by the ruling coalition, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has ruled out any tweaks to the Constitution without the Pakistan Tehkree-e-Insaf (PTI). Speaking to a private TV channel, JUI-F’s Senator Kamran Murtaza said that they cannot ignore the PTI and that the Constitution cannot be called a con-
sensus-oriented one if the Imran Khan-founded party is not on board. The lawmaker’s remarks come amid strenuous efforts by the incumbent government to woo the JUI-F in its bid to secure relevant numbers in the parliament to successfully pass the constitutional package provisioning a three-year fixed tenure for the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) as well as the establishment of a constitutional court. STAFF REPORT