Islamabad (IPS): The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) has declined to back the government’s proposal for establishing a constitutional court and instead suggested the formation of a constitutional bench. During a special committee meeting on constitutional amendments, JUI-F presented its own draft, with Senator Kamran Murtaza noting that the primary difference between the drafts of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and JUI-F lies in the approach to either a constitutional court or a bench.
Senator Kamran Murtaza stated, “We have no objections to the rest of the PPP’s draft. We are hopeful that both parties will soon reach an agreement on a joint draft.”
He added that discussions took place on both drafts during the meeting, with consultation ongoing. JUI-F has presented its 24-point draft in response to the government’s 56-point proposal. The party’s key suggestion is to create a constitutional bench within the Supreme Court rather than a separate constitutional court, as there are currently around 200 constitutional cases. According to Murtaza, forming such a court is not practical, and the solution lies in establishing dedicated benches in the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, PPP leader Sherry Rehman emphasized that consensus-building is a hallmark of the party. “Nothing is perfect, not even constitutional amendments, but we are striving to bring transparency to the process,” she said.
After the special committee meeting on constitutional amendments, PPP and JUI-F held further consultations at Zardari House. The discussions were attended by Naveed Qamar, Murtaza Wahab, and Senator Kamran Murtaza.
