Islamabad, October 20,2024- Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has reacted strongly to the recently passed constitutional amendment, declaring today a “Black Day” for the Constitution and democracy. According to the PTI’s statement, the highly controversial amendment was pushed through by an unrepresentative and incomplete parliament under duress and coercion. The party condemned this action as an assault on the Constitution, terming it a dark day for democratic principles.
A PTI spokesperson stated that the main purpose of these amendments is to secure the power of a selected elite while closing the doors of justice on Imran Khan, his party, and the 240 million people of Pakistan, effectively excluding them from the political process. The amendments, the spokesperson said, are aimed at undermining the independence of the judiciary and turning it into a tool in the hands of the government and the establishment.
The spokesperson further claimed that the initial step towards achieving the real objectives of these amendments has already been taken, as evidenced by the interference in the process of appointing the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court as the Chief Justice of Pakistan. This interference, they argue, marks a blatant intrusion into the judiciary, with the ultimate aim of removing the judiciary as the final obstacle to the political ambitions of the ruling elite.
According to PTI’s statement, by appointing one of the three senior-most judges as Chief Justice through a parliamentary committee, both the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice will be reduced to mere gatekeepers for the establishment. With the retirement of each Chief Justice, senior judges will be seen vying for the favor of the political government and its patrons in the establishment, rather than upholding the Constitution and justice. Furthermore, the committees, dominated by the government and establishment, will have control over the appointment of judges to constitutional benches in the Supreme Court and High Courts.
The PTI spokesperson warned that matters involving violations of the Constitution by the government, both at the federal and provincial levels, would be brought before these benches, which will be formed under a commission controlled by the government and establishment. This process, they claim, will strip the judiciary of its independent and autonomous status, reducing it to a subservient institution beholden to the executive, parliament, and, in practice, the establishment.
In a deliberate attempt to prevent public scrutiny of these amendments, the most popular political leader of the country, Imran Khan, has been kept in solitary confinement, the spokesperson added. PTI, under the guidance of its founding chairman Imran Khan, will launch a robust resistance movement, both inside and outside parliament, to prevent the destruction of the constitutional order.
The PTI spokesperson also expressed gratitude to the public, like-minded and allied political parties, and their leaders for their peaceful resistance against this highly controversial constitutional package. The spokesperson further praised the senators and members of the National Assembly who, despite immense oppression and authoritarianism, remained loyal to Imran Khan and adhered to party policy. PTI reiterated its commitment to a peaceful but decisive resistance under the leadership of Imran Khan, with the goal of cleansing the Constitution and democracy of the stains of autocracy and achieving true freedom for the nation.
