LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Tuesday denounced the 27th Constitutional Amendment as a “power grab” that threatens to undermine judicial independence and distort the spirit of Pakistan’s Constitution.
Addressing the Lahore Bar Association at Aiwan-e-Adl, Rehman said the government’s move to push through sweeping constitutional reforms amounted to “concentrating power in the hands of the executive.”
He pledged to resist what he described as an attempt to “rewrite the nation’s founding document,” warning that the JI would continue its struggle to restore the Constitution’s “original integrity.”
The 27th Amendment Bill, which passed the Senate with a two-thirds majority and now awaits approval from the National Assembly, includes 59 clauses — several of which have sparked fierce criticism. Among them are changes to Article 243 restructuring military command, and amendments to Article 248 granting lifetime legal immunity to the president.
Rehman warned that under the proposed Article 200, the president would gain authority to transfer high court judges between provinces, while the creation of a Constitutional Court would “fundamentally alter” the judicial balance of power.
He also objected to the proposal to rename the Chief Justice of Pakistan as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, arguing that it would allow the prime minister to “handpick” the country’s top judge. “Now, the head of the constitutional court will be whoever the prime minister chooses. This is direct interference in the judiciary,” he said.
Criticising the government’s broader agenda, the JI chief said the reforms violated the principle of equality before the law. “No individual, regardless of their power, should be given immunity above the law,” he declared.
Turning to the economy, Rehman dismissed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s claims of recovery, saying improvements in the stock market did not reflect the hardships faced by ordinary Pakistanis. “The real economy and lives of ordinary people tell a completely different story,” he said.
He further accused mainstream political parties of hypocrisy in their dealings with the establishment. “When the establishment supports us, we say ‘zindabad’; when it supports someone else, we say ‘murdabad.’ This hypocrisy must end,” he remarked.
Rehman also alleged that Senate seats were being influenced by financial interests and criticised Punjab for not holding local government elections since 2015. He rejected the province’s new Local Government Act, which allows non-party elections, calling it “unacceptable and undemocratic.”
The JI leader demanded a transparent, party-based local government system, saying true democracy begins at the grassroots level.
